argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for that important point. The Department for Work and Pensions is undertaking various measures to improve the chances of people with disabilities accessing the workplace, and my Department is giving all the support it can to that inquiry.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I can assure the hon. Lady that, as the First Secretary of State said earlier this week, Parliament has spoken on the issue of national insurance class 4 contributions. That matter is now settled, and will not be revisited. I agree with her that we should pay close attention to ensure that people who are genuinely contracted to provide an ongoing service are given the protections that workers enjoy, and are not falsely labelled as self-employed.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Nigel John Mills (Conservative, Centre-right): On a similar point, will my hon. Friend confirm that there is a real risk that introducing the term "dependent contractors" will fudge the issue of whether someone is really employed or self-employed? Should we not focus on ensuring that the line is drawn in the right place and that those who engage so-called dependent contractors are paying employers’ national insurance, so that our own tax regime does not distort the market?
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): We will certainly consult carefully on those points. We will make sure not only that the Treasury is satisfied in respect of tax issues, but that we are satisfied that people are getting their rights if they are employees or workers—or, as Matthew Taylor is proposing to rename them, dependent contractors.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Giles Francis Watling (Conservative, Centre-right): I spent 45 years in the gig economy, and what I liked about it was that it was very flexible. In order to build a career, I found myself delivering bacon across north London from Smithfield market. I also became a removal man, among many other things. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is welcome that the report supports a flexible labour market, and is not in favour of restricting that flexibility when individuals want it?
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): The whole basis of the report is good work and the aspiration of good work for all, including, I believe, the constituents to whom the hon. Lady refers, but let me reassure her. Two years ago, the Office for National Statistics labour force survey found that nearly 70% of people on zero-hours contracts were content with the hours that they were working. However, that does mean that a third want more hours, which is a finding that we must embrace in the context of some of the changes that Matthew Taylor is recommending to help to achieve the good work and the working hours that the hon. Lady’s constituents want.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend asks me a difficult question. I do believe—Matthew Taylor’s report bears this out—that flexibility benefits employers and employees, but I am afraid that the evidence given to the inquiry suggested that in too many cases that flexibility is a one-way street, as I said earlier. We must deal with the problem of people who are really at risk and whose employment position is far too insecure.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I do agree with my hon. Friend. The figures suggest that nearly 20% of people on zero-hours contracts are students. Such flexibility also benefits many people who have parenting or caring responsibilities and do not want to work full-time. We certainly do not want to end that flexibility but, as I have said, we do want to improve protection.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much agree with the right hon. Gentleman that enforcement is crucial. As I said, we have doubled the resources available to HMRC for enforcing the minimum wage and they will continue to rise throughout this Parliament. We have also strengthened the powers of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, and the recently appointed director of labour market enforcement has been tasked with bringing the work of the three major enforcement bodies together to understand the extent of the abuse and to recommend ways of giving those agencies the resources that will enable them to deal with it. I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will be pleased with the outcome, in due course.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Amanda Anne Milling (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the report and my hon. Friend’s statement. Does she agree that not only is it absolutely right for us to ensure that workers are treated fairly, but it is good for businesses too, because they will have a more engaged and therefore more productive workforce?
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I heartily agree. This is all about improving work so that we have good work, with people who are able to grow in their careers, and a system in which those who are low-paid to start with need not be low-paid forever but can aspire to a better future. That will benefit British productivity and, as my hon. Friend suggests, improve the competitiveness of British companies.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government cannot mandate people to join trade unions. Trade unions are still an important force for the protection of workers’ rights among the sectors of the economy in which they are still dominant, and I commend them for their work.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Matthew Robert Warman (Conservative, Centre-right): If one talks to drivers for Uber or cleaners using platforms such as Hassle, they will largely acknowledge the benefits of flexibility to them. To coin a phrase, would it not be morally unacceptable to misread the 21st-century labour market and construct a set of rules that forced those people out of work, rather than allowing them to stay in it?
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Macroeconomics
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I assure the hon. Lady that no bar was put in front of Matthew Taylor; he was able to investigate as freely and as fairly as he saw fit. It is up to the Treasury to assess the tax situation and any potential loss of revenue, which of course arises due to bogus self-employment.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Macroeconomics
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): To contrast the previous question, will my hon. Friend join me in recognising one of the key findings of the review: thanks to the Government’s tax policies, once tax levels and tax credits are taken into account, average take-home pay for families with at least one member in full-time employment is higher in the UK than in any other G7 country?
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I am aware of the independent union of self-employed workers; it has been a force and has contributed to the inquiry. However, I will be only too pleased to meet the hon. Lady and her Community organisers as part of my consultation.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Robert John Blackman (Conservative, Centre-right): There is a marked difference between people who set up a business and take risks, including the risk of self-employment, and a few unscrupulous employers who force workers to go self-employed. In response to this excellent report, what will my hon. Friend do to ensure that people who are genuinely self-employed continue to receive benefits, but the unscrupulous employers do not?
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have said, many individuals want to work in the flexible way that is afforded by zero-hours contracts, and almost 70% of people on those contracts are happy with their hours. As I have also said, we must take steps to promote the value of good work as an opportunity for the third who are not, whether they are in Wales or the rest of the United Kingdom.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Desmond Angus Swayne (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister tells us that 20% of such people are students and that 70% are satisfied. Can she complete the hat-trick by telling us what the mean weekly earnings for someone on a zero-hours contract actually are?
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Education
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): That is a matter for the Department for Education. I agree that work experience is very important to young people and I am sure the Secretary of State will look favourably on that. My Department is looking to boost opportunities for lifelong learning to engender a culture in which people can progress in their careers.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
David Thomas Morris (Conservative, Centre-right): Before I became a Member of Parliament, I was self-employed for almost 30 years. I was also the self-employment ambassador to the previous Prime Minister, David Cameron, and I worked with Matthew Taylor on this report. I found him to be extremely non-partisan and an absolute gentleman. May I urge my hon. Friend to accept the proposed measures for the self-employed, especially the maternity and paternity benefits?
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not accept the premise that insecurity is the new norm. One of the purposes of this report was to look closely at the extent of insecurity and to produce recommendations on how that might be mitigated when it is not desired by the workers. I will consider the question that the hon. Gentleman raises, but it was not addressed in this report.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Technology
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): The app was one of the most interesting suggestions. There might be limitations to the apps currently available, but in no way was Matthew Taylor advocating that these should be mandatory. They should, however, be available in a more sophisticated form than at present.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): To correct the record, I was not saying that flexibility was always a one-way street in favour of the employer; I said that this was, in exceptional cases, a real problem that needs addressing, but that is not necessarily the norm. In response to the other matters the hon. Lady has raised, I urge her to contribute her views as we go through the consultation.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I cannot accept the premise behind the hon. Gentleman’s question. We are not seeking to end zero-hours contracts, because too many people want them and the flexibility associated with them, but we are seeking to root out abuse where it exists.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): I can reassure the hon. Lady that Matthew Taylor has recommended that we take the issue of holiday pay seriously and ensure that it applies to all workers who are entitled to it. The Treasury will be taking forward those suggestions.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Social Welfare
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): We have always been absolutely committed to reducing poverty, wherever it exists. The national living wage has gone a long way towards providing workers with a framework so that they need not sink into poverty, and I urge the hon. Gentleman to consider that fact further.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman refers to the term "dependent contractor". This recommendation was designed to improve clarity and to increase the chances of workers getting the rights to which they are entitled, but it is just that: a recommendation. He is free to lobby against our acceptance of it during the course of our consultation.
Taylor Review: Working Practices — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Labor
Margot Cathleen James (Conservative, Centre-right): One of Matthew Taylor’s recommendations is that before an employee takes a case to an employment tribunal, they should receive firm advice on what their status is in reality. That would end a huge amount of uncertainty and unnecessary expense. We will consider that and all the other recommendations in this excellent report, which I commend to the House. I found much of it inspiring, and I hope that we can all work together to improve the quality of work in this country, as well as the number of jobs
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Law and Crime
Anne Margaret Main (Conservative, Centre-right): A constituent, who does not wish to be named, wants us to include the remit of the Skipton Fund in this review. She, and many others, feel that the remit was wrongly drawn up, and that she and others have been denied the justice they should have had.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Law and Crime
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): I think the victims who looked at the Scottish settlement have taken that point on board—that is certainly the case with Adrian Melson—and I am sure that the Government listened to the hon. Gentleman’s view. Let us come together and provide a clear timeline for when the victims can get not only justice but compensation.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Government Operations
Philip Martin Dunne (Conservative, Centre-right): I shall come on directly to the form that the independent inquiry should take, and I hope that that will help to address the right hon. Gentleman’s question We have heard calls for an inquiry based on the model that was used to investigate the Hillsborough tragedy—the so-called Hillsborough-style panel—which would allow for a sensitive investigation of the issues, allowing those affected and their families close personal engagement with an independent and trusted panel. There have also been suggestions that only a formal statutory inquiry led by a senior judge under the Inquiries Act 2005 will provide the answers that those affected want. Such an inquiry would have the power to compel witnesses and written evidence—an apparent shortcoming in previous reports. The Government can see that there are merits in both approaches, and to ensure that whatever is established is in the interests of those affected we will engage with the affected groups and interested parties, including the all-party parliamentary group, before taking a final decision on the type of inquiry.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Government Operations
Philip Martin Dunne (Conservative, Centre-right): I shall make a little progress on devolved matters before responding to other colleagues. Regardless of the style of the inquiry, our intention is that it should cover the whole of the UK, so we will be in direct contact with counterparts in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland to discuss that with them and to seek their views before determining those aspects of the inquiry.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Law and Crime
Philip Martin Dunne (Conservative, Centre-right): The scope of the inquiry will be determined as part of the discussions which, as I have said, will take place over coming weeks and short number of months. Our intention is that the devolved Administrations and their residents will have full access to participation in the inquiry, irrespective of where people live or were infected The Government intend to update the House once the discussions are complete, and I encourage colleagues with a specific interest to engage in discussions through the all-party group or other relevant groups. In the meantime, if anyone in the House or outside has any evidence of criminality, they should take that evidence to the police as soon as possible. If anyone has any other evidence that they want the inquiry to consider, I would request that they submit it to the inquiry once it has been established. The Government will write to everyone in receipt of payments from the current schemes to make sure that they all know about today’s announcement and to inform them of next steps.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Law and Crime
Kevin John Foster (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much welcome the Minister’s comments. Will he confirm that when the scope of the inquiry is drawn up care will be taken not to do anything that might endanger future trials? Will he further emphasise that anyone with information should make sure that it is made available to the police?
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Law and Crime
Philip Martin Dunne (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend will recollect that the recent Hillsborough inquiry gave rise to certain information that was made available to the police and led to charges being made. We would envisage that the inquiry that is established would have the ability to do the same thing if appropriate.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Macroeconomics
Philip Martin Dunne (Conservative, Centre-right): I have just described the additional contribution to the financial scheme for England. It will be for the inquiry to decide whether it wants to make recommendations about financial arrangements. At present, I am not in a position to give the hon. Gentleman the confirmation that he is seeking. That will have to come through the inquiry.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Law and Crime
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for bringing that point forward. There is nothing more frustrating for an MP than hearing that people have just fallen outside the bracket. That is the worst place to be, and the scope of the inquiry will perhaps give us the chance to look at that This Government have done significantly more than other Governments to protect those who have been affected. There is a commitment to ensure that we pull the five fairly complex schemes together and transfer them into a new scheme in 2017. These people have complicated and difficult lives anyway, and it is only right that we make it easier for victims to get the support they need I am so pleased that the Prime Minister made her announcement this morning and that there will be a full and wide-ranging inquiry into the tragedy. I am pleased that the inquiry will be drawn together by the victims, to support and suit the victims. I am pleased that they will finally have a voice—the strongest voice possible—so that they can get the most and the fullest answers they can, which is what they deserve. It is only right that this consultation will be held with those affected by this terrible injustice, so that their families also have a voice I hope that the inquiry will provide answers for those who are looking for them. In particular, there are concerns about criminality—when I heard that issue raised in this House, it was extremely concerning. We now have a vehicle to get people’s voices heard, and if there is anything that should be going through the courts, we can do something about that With this inquiry, we have an opportunity to make sure that no voice is lost, and that the victims and their families get the right inquiry, the fullest compensation and the answers they rightly deserve.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Government Operations
Rebecca Faye Clark (Pow) (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is making a very good case. Does he agree that, while we welcome the Government’s inquiry and the funding given so far, transparency should be at its core? That is what it is all about.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Government Operations
Rebecca Faye Clark (Pow) (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention and I could not agree more. Transparency should be the nub of the inquiry, because it is important for my constituent and for all those who have had their lives changed forever through no fault of their own. We must remember that they have not brought it on themselves I thank the Government for listening and giving the issue the attention it deserves. I also thank them for more than doubling the Department’s annual spend in this area. Let us make sure that the funding gets to the people who really need it. I thank the Government for announcing the inquiry as I will be able to give my constituent a glimmer of hope both that the Prime Minister has understood the issues and called for the inquiry, and that we will get the inquiry right. Public inquiries are rare events and we need to make sure this one works. New evidence will emerge, and I urge that all relevant and commercially sensitive documents are made available. With the right framework, progress can be made and—I hope—the right thing done at last. I urge the Minister to ensure above all that the inquiry does not drag on too long. For those who have suffered for too long already, time is of the essence.
Contaminated Blood — House of Commons, 2017-07-11
Topic: Law and Crime
Kevin John Foster (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady makes a powerful point. I am sure that the Minister will have heard it and will wish to consider, as part of the consultation, how the inquiry is structured and how the victims are represented. I can imagine, given the victims’ experience over the past 30 years, that they might have strong views on whether they should be represented by a state-appointed person or someone they know themselves. It is important that the way in which they are represented should be determined through consultation. I am sure that all points will be carefully considered to ensure that these people are represented appropriately In my constituency, three ladies have raised this matter with me constantly: Jean Hill, Michelle Digby and Margaret Murray. They have been determined to pursue the matter, to find answers and to reach justice. Even while I have been in the House for the Minister’s speech, Margaret has been in touch to ask when the compensation payments will be made, given that the forms were sent out over 12 months ago. It is important that we resolve all these issues as well as finding the answers to what happened 30 years ago I welcome the Minister’s statement today, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Diana Johnson) on her pursuit of this matter and on securing the debate. I also congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Worthing West (Sir Peter Bottomley), who has been diligent in pursuing these cases. I hope that those who have suffered for too long can finally get the answers that they deserve and have an absolute right to receive