argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Budget Resolutions — House of Commons, 2021-11-01
Topic: Social Welfare
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): I will make a bit more progress I heard some Opposition Members say that rich people are not paying in enough. Well, I ask them to look at the Government’s distribution analysis and the analysis of the Resolution Foundation. These analyses say that the Government’s policies boost incomes for those on the lowest incomes, while those with the broadest shoulders—the better off—are the ones who will be paying the most. I also ask Opposition Members to acknowledge, as so many Government Members did, how both the increase to the national living wage by 6.6% and the changes to the universal credit taper rate will help millions of households on the lowest incomes. For example, a single parent of two children who works full-time will be £1,200 better off next year thanks to these changes.
Budget Resolutions — House of Commons, 2021-11-01
Topic: Macroeconomics
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): I stand by what I said: the Government’s distribution analysis and the Resolution Foundation analysis say that this Budget and spending review boost the incomes of those on the lowest incomes, and that those who are better off are paying in the most. The crucial point about the changes to the taper rate for universal credit is that it is about ensuring that people keep more of what they earn, and get the benefits and rewards of their hard work. The effect that it has is a tax cut for those on the lowest incomes There were times when I wondered whether Opposition Members were scrutinising the same Budget as Government Members. At many points, it felt as though they had missed the point. It was clear that the Opposition have no alternative plan. It was not clear whether they felt that we were spending too much or too little; what they would cut; what they would change; or where they would raise funds from. We on the Conservative Benches know that we are making the hard, responsible decisions, and setting ourselves up for the future I come to a serious point I want to make. Colleagues rightly pointed out that public spending is relatively high, and I share colleagues’ concerns about the size of the state at the moment. In fact, the Chancellor himself spoke about this last week. We on the Conservative Benches know that government should have limits. We want people to keep more of the rewards of their efforts, and we have said that, by the end of this Parliament, we want taxes to be going up, rather than down.
Budget Resolutions — House of Commons, 2021-11-01
Topic: Macroeconomics
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): I would like to quickly correct the record. My apologies: I wanted to say that, by the end of this Parliament, we on the Conservative Benches want taxes to be going down. [Hon. Members: "Hear, hear!"] I thank my hon. Friends for their support.
Weardale Railway — House of Commons, 2021-11-01
Topic: Transportation
Paul Howell (Conservative, Centre-right): As my hon. Friend the Member for North West Durham (Mr Holden) said, I worked for a number of years up at Eastgate at what was the thriving cement works industry. Unfortunately, that was lost as part of the squeeze between Scotland and the midlands. Part of the reason for that was probably the economics of getting trucks of cement out of that valley—it did not help that there was not a railway line The Minister will be surprised to see me talking about anything other than the Ferryhill railway station bid, on which I wholeheartedly support our progress. As he knows, a feasibility study has progressed on that. There are many parallels between the necessity of that bid and this one. They would both connect communities, ensuring that people can reach the centres of employment and that those centres can reach back into the countryside and leisure activities that go with that Having worked in Weardale, I can say that it is not a flat part of the world, and we do have weather up there, so any additional contributions from rail—as opposed to road—to get down to the metropolis of Darlington, as it is called, would be welcome at certain times of the year. The Weardale line connects to the Bishop line, which is the connection into Darlington. That will be severed when the big works are done at Darlington station to improve the economics of that argument. I am really pleased to see both feasibility studies happening That section of the Bishop line is part of the old Stockton to Darlington line. That is where things started back on 27 September 1825—before me, even—when the locomotion engine was reassembled and steamed prior to the opening of the railway on the Aycliffe levels in the Sedgefield constituency at Newton Aycliffe. The whole thrust of the 2025 celebrations come from that. At that site is a pub called, of all things, Locomotion No. 1, although sadly it is decrepit and in real need of repair and rebuilding. I hope that as part of the reimagining of the line and these connections, we can rebuild with reference to places such as the Locomotion No. 1 pub, with their historical significance. I will touch briefly on Ferryhill again and the connection to Newton Aycliffe, which had the munitions factory. Munitions in the war drove Ferryhill station, which was at that time the busiest station in Europe—bizarre, but it was. I would like to see that reconnection to history and the reconnection of our communities. It is why I am here to support our efforts with the Darlington to Dales railway line.
Weardale Railway — House of Commons, 2021-11-01
Topic: Transportation
Peter Alexander Gibson (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for North West Durham (Mr Holden) on securing the debate and on his tireless campaigning on the issue The potential restoration of the Darlington to Weardale line was a very welcome announcement last week as we reopen connectivity in the north-east, levelling up and unlocking its potential. I look forward to the Government’s feasibility study, which will examine the scheme’s potential for improving local connections and boosting business, employment, educational and leisure opportunities for my constituents as we look at expanding services from Darlington to Stanhope Ahead of the bicentenary of the Stockton and Darlington railway, we know that the Weardale line, which is steeped in local history, is an important step in our levelling-up agenda. I am proud of my regional colleagues—my hon. Friend the Member for Sedgefield (Paul Howell), whom we have heard from this evening, my hon. Friend the Member for Bishop Auckland (Dehenna Davison), and particularly my hon. Friend the Member for North West Durham—for their collective dedication to the work. I thank Ministers for being receptive and supporting the project into its next phase.
International Workers with STEM Qualifications — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Technology
David Michael Davis (Conservative, Centre-right): Last week, I met the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, to discuss the challenges facing Britain as we seek to become a leading science superpower. He spoke of the need for cross-departmental support, including from the Home Office, to ensure that Britain is competing in the marketplace of global excellence. Can my right hon. Friend update the House on what conversations her Department has had with UK Research and Innovation with respect to the global talent visa route, and how well she expects it to work?
International Workers with STEM Qualifications — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Technology
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): This is an important area in developing global talent and making sure that we, as a country, are attractive and can become the science superpower that we aspire to be. The chief scientific officer has indeed been leading this work with the Home Office and with the Treasury. In response to my right hon. Friend’s question, I can say that there is a great deal of work taking place, that these routes are open and that he will hear a lot more about the applications and the numbers that are coming through, but I can assure the House that the Home Office and this Government are absolutely dedicated to making sure that we get the brightest and the best over to our country through this new route.
Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I reject what the hon. Lady says about funding and resources. In her area, the police are receiving their fair share of the 20,000 additional police officers we have pledged to hire. She will already see 114 additional officers in her area, and the police are receiving up to £171.7 million of funding—an increase of £5.5 million—so I suggest that she talks to her local police and crime commissioners and ensures that they are prioritising that funding in the right way.
Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Alun Hugh Cairns (Conservative, Centre-right): Domestic violence is one of the ugliest and saddest outcomes of some of the measures that the Government were forced to introduce to handle the covid pandemic, but may I draw the Minister’s attention to the excellent work of the domestic abuse charity Atal y Fro in my constituency, which has encouraged GPs to follow the IRIS—identification and referral to improve safety—programme, enabling them better to identify some of the more prevalent symptoms among victims of domestic violence?
Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): No, that is not relevant. This is a very important subject, and victims and support services deserve to know that this Government are on their side Let me turn to the report referenced by the hon. Lady. This is not a broken record. These are the facts: we are responding and taking action, which is why the Home Secretary is leading on a ministerial group across Government, bringing together the whole of Government to bear down on the recommendations outlined in the report—[Interruption.] Perhaps the hon. Lady would like to listen to the Minister. We have also appointed Maggie Blyth to lead the work across the entire police force and criminal justice system that will focus on addressing violence against women and girls, which is a priority for this Government.
Online Fraud — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): Online fraud can cause very serious harm to victims, both financial and emotional. We are determined to protect the public from these crimes and to go after those that commit them. The draft Online Safety Bill will be one important tool to enhance our abilities in that.
Online Fraud — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
James Michael Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for that update. Ofcom allows those who receive spam text messages to forward them to a service, 7726, to report the receipt of those messages. How will the law enforcement agencies use the data acquired to locate and to punish the perpetrators of those crimes?
Online Fraud — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to my hon. Friend for highlighting the 7726 service, because referrals to that help to build up the intelligence on SMS fraudsters or scam texters and can help to lead to take-downs. It is really important that law enforcement works both with regulators and directly with individual telecoms companies to protect victims and go after the criminals responsible.
Modern Slavery Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): Modern slavery is a truly awful crime. Statistics for England and Wales show that police-recorded modern slavery offences increased by 2% in the year to June 2021, and live investigations also increased from 188 in December 2016 to 3,869 in October 2021. We are committed to tackling modern slavery and we have invested £15 million to strengthen the police response over the past five years.
Modern Slavery Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for her question; she has highlighted an important issue. The whole point of our modern slavery strategy is to be able to track down and prosecute those horrendous criminals who heartlessly traffic human beings into this country. The entire force of the Government’s policy making is devoted to that end.
Modern Slavery Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for highlighting that. There are a range of measures in the Nationality and Borders Bill. I very much hope that Opposition Members will support those measures so that we can break down these criminal gangs. We are also working very closely with the police and we have invested additional funds in our courts system to catch up from the backlog of the pandemic.
Modern Slavery Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Peter William Bone (Conservative, Centre-right): While the Minister is absolutely right to say that we lead Europe on modern-day slavery, the question asked by the hon. Member for Swansea East (Carolyn Harris) goes very much to the heart of the matter: if we want more prosecutions, we need more victims to come forward. The way to do that is that if they are coming into this country irregularly they need a year of leave to remain here so that we can get at these—please excuse this if it is not parliamentary—evil bastards. Will the Minister reply to the hon. Lady’s question: can we have that year?
Modern Slavery Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I can reassure my hon. Friend and all Members in the House that those victims who are working closely with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service are looked at on a case-by-case basis. Where they are assisting the police and the criminal justice system with their inquiries, they are permitted to stay in this country, and our legislation that we are bringing forward will clarify that further. [Interruption.] I have met victims of modern slavery, thank you, I say to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Jess Phillips), who is speaking from a sedentary position.
Modern Slavery Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I hope I have answered my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone). I am happy to speak to him in more detail. I make it clear to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley that I have met victims of modern slavery. I have heard their stories, which are shocking, and we are putting all our efforts into preventing these crimes and dealing with the people who perpetrate them.
Tackling Violent and Sexual Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): Crimes of violence against women and girls are abhorrent and have no place in our society. Maggie Blyth has been appointed as the new policing lead for tackling violence against women and girls. We have launched a £5 million safety of women at night fund, and we will be launching a national communications campaign focused on targeting perpetrators, educating young people and ensuring victims can access support.
Tackling Violent and Sexual Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has indicated that she would be very happy to meet the hon. Gentleman. We all recognise the need to tackle these absolutely disgusting crimes, and I am sure that the whole House would support what he is asking for.
Tackling Violent and Sexual Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Mark Rory Logan (Conservative, Centre-right): Drugs, speeding and ineffective response times were top issues at the crime forum I held in Breightmet and Tonge with the Haulgh, but it was violence against women that gave me pause during that event. What is being done to tackle violence against women in Bolton?
Tackling Violent and Sexual Offences — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for how he is focusing on this issue. We have a national programme to support women and girls’ safety and, as part of that, Greater Manchester has been awarded £1.5 million from the Home Office’s domestic abuse perpetrator programme fund. The fund works with perpetrators to get them to change their behaviour. It is very difficult but important work, and it is taking place specifically in Bolton. One of the partners is Talk, Listen, Change, which has been accredited by the organisation, Respect, as delivering very high-quality interventions.
Antisocial Behaviour — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): Police-recorded incidents of antisocial behaviour show a fall from 2.1 million in 2013-14 to 1.8 million in the year to June 2021. The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides flexible tools and powers for local agencies to tackle antisocial behaviour.
Antisocial Behaviour — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady will know that our beating crime plan has set out that neighbourhood hubs are an integral part of the response. Policing in London is the responsibility of the Mayor of London. The Metropolitan Police Service is one of the best-funded forces in the whole country, receiving more than £3 billion in 2021-22, an increase of up to £132.4 million. It already has an additional 2,070 officers on the beat.
Antisocial Behaviour — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Jonathan Edward Gullis (Conservative, Centre-right): Last Thursday evening, I was at the Smallthorne Community Centre with the Smallthorne Village Residents Association, local Staffordshire police officers and police community support officers. One of the biggest issues that came up was the antisocial behaviour of a tiny minority of feral youths. Will the Minister tell me: what are we going to do about those youngsters and their parents, to get them out cleaning the streets and looking after the community so that they can pay back my local community for the lives they are ruining?
Antisocial Behaviour — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend strongly represents the views of his constituents. None of us likes to see that type of low-level disruptive crime, which has a devastating impact on communities. I thank him for championing his police force. Our neighbourhood crime plan is an integral part of tackling such crimes.
Antisocial Behaviour — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady has taken my words out of context. Neighbourhood crime encompasses a vast spectrum of crimes that have a considerable impact on local communities, as I made clear at the Dispatch Box earlier. Those are a range of crimes that are at the centre of the Government’s response in our beating crime plan. We have made it clear that increasing the number of police officers on the beat is a priority. We are already more than halfway through our plan to deliver an additional 20,000 police officers on the street. The neighbourhood crime plan is part of our plan. It is for local forces to determine the operational priorities in their areas.
Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: International Affairs
Victoria Atkins (Conservative, Centre-right): I know the hon. Gentleman well, and I know that he will not have overlooked the 15,000 people whom we evacuated during the emergency conditions of Operation Pitting. Of course, there are still agreements carrying on with third-party countries for evacuating people—where it is safe to do so, where checks have been conducted and so on—each and every week. Not only do we have the ACRS in the process of being built, but we are meeting our commitment to those who have worked with the UK Government and the UK Army under the Afghan relocations and assistance policy, so work is ongoing to protect people. We are working with international partners; indeed, I met the German delegation during the Conservative party conference to discuss with them the work the Germans are doing. However, we are very much in the hands of our international partners when it comes to opening up safe and legal routes through Afghanistan to us.
Special Constables — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure you agree with me, Mr Speaker, that special constables are among the most remarkable citizens in the land. We are bringing forward legislation to enable them to become members of the Police Federation, so that they can access the same support and protection as regular officers. We will also be introducing the police covenant in legislation shortly to ensure further support and protection for the police workforce, including special constables.
Special Constables — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful for the fact that the welfare of this special—in every sense of the word—group of people is at the forefront of my hon. Friend’s mind. She will be pleased to know that the Government continue to fund the national police wellbeing service, which provides support and particularly post-traumatic incident services to all police officers, including special constables. As I said in the earlier part of my answer, there is more that can be done, and by making sure that all special constables are full members of the Police Federation, they will be able to access the significant support that that organisation can provide.
Antisocial Behaviour — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): The beating crime plan laid out the Government’s commitments to working with local agencies to drive down antisocial behaviour, and we are committed to ensuring that victims of antisocial behaviour get the response they deserve. The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 introduced specific measures designed to give victims and communities a say in the way that complaints of antisocial behaviour are dealt with, and this includes the community trigger—an important safety net that gives victims of persistent antisocial behaviour the ability to demand a formal case review.
Antisocial Behaviour — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Rachel Helen Maclean (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure the hon. Member will agree that local councillors of all parties want to tackle the scourge of antisocial behaviour that affects their residents. Local areas have the powers and the funding from the Home Office. The Mayor of West Yorkshire, a Labour Mayor, is receiving up to £510.8 million of funding, which is an increase of £25.8 million on the police settlement of last year, and she has also been able to recruit an extra 619 officers to tackle these priorities.
County Lines Drugs Gangs — House of Commons, 2021-11-22
Topic: Law and Crime
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): The Prime Minister issued an instruction that we should roll up county lines, and that is exactly what we have been doing for the last two years. Since 2019, we have invested over £65 million, including over £40 million committed this year. This has already resulted in the closure of more than 1,500 lines, over 7,400 arrests and the safeguarding of more than 4,000 vulnerable adults and children.