argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, that is the point that was made time and again during the debate yesterday. I am not sure the Government have entirely answered it to my satisfaction The Government seem to argue that were we to vote to leave the EU, that would be such a catastrophic snub to our EU partners that there would be a degree of vengeance. I think that is a childlike view of how policy is created in Paris and Berlin. Many people in France—I take a bit of an interest in this—have argued for many years that it would not be an absurd state of affairs for Britain to leave the EU, for all sorts of reasons. However, the Government argue that a dramatic vengeance game would be initiated By the way, if our European partners acted in that way, would we want to have anything to do with them? It is a ridiculous argument anyway. They would not behave in that way, because of the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Philip Davies)—because of our trade deficit with them, particularly with our German friends. They are intimately bound up with us in terms of trade and there is every incentive to conclude a reasonable deal.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher Robert Chope (Conservative, Centre-right): It is not just about the trade issue. The Baltic states, for example, are very dependent on our NATO presence in helping them to defend themselves against the Russian threat. They would never countenance the rest of the European Union taking it out on the UK, when the UK is doing so much to defend their interests.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Oliver Newton Colvile (Conservative, Centre-right): This is the first time I have intervened in the European debate, and hon. Members can rest assured that one thing I will not be talking about is the future of the hedgehog, or le hérisson, as I think it is called in French This is probably one of the biggest, most controversial issues we will deal with as a country, and I am acutely aware that a number of my hon. Friends take a completely different position from the one that I will espouse during my speech. I would also say that this issue—like the corn laws, free trade and imperial preference—is one of the big issues in British history. Of course, this, too, is a big trade issue, and we have to take that into account Over the last 15 years, as the parliamentary candidate for the Plymouth Sutton seat and, more recently, as the Member of Parliament for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, I have always sought to take a rather pragmatic attitude to what our relationship with Europe should be; I do not start from the basis of a set view of how we should proceed. I very much support what the Prime Minister has been able to do in the way of bringing back reform. The big issue of Europe kicked off when Jacques Delors said how important it was that the single market was not just about money but employment regulations and stuff like that too. I want the UK to be in Europe but not run by Europe. Now that the Prime Minister has finished his negotiations and presented his new plan for Europe, I have decided that I will vote to remain in the EU in the referendum on 23 June. I want to make it abundantly clear that I have exactly the same influence as every single one of my constituents or, for that matter, anybody in the whole of the United Kingdom. I have one vote, no more and no less To my mind, Britain’s role in Europe is to maintain the balance of power, and that is utterly crucial. Over the course of history, when we have walked away from Europe, we have had to go back in and sweep up the whole mess. We have invested time, money and blood in that relationship with Europe, and now is not the time for us to wash our hands of our allies and turn back.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I am intrigued by my hon. Friend’s view that everything in the EU is about peace and harmony. Has he seen the rise of the far-right parties across the EU in recent years, including the largest party in France, and the record amounts of barbed wire going up around the EU? It does not strike many people as being about peace and harmony but quite the reverse in many cases.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Oliver Newton Colvile (Conservative, Centre-right): I fully agree with my hon. Friend that that issue must be looked at and taken into account, and I do, but I am talking about my personal view. This is about trying to make sure that we can maintain peace within Europe. I recognise, though, that other people have significantly different views—some even more extreme than his position might end up being. I have a great deal of time for my hon. Friend The EU is far from perfect, but this is not the time to throw away the good progress that the Prime Minister has made in reforming it. I am pleased that we have managed to secure an opt-out from being dragged into an ever closer union with the other 27 member states. In the previous Parliament, he managed to secure a deal that would bring the EU’s budget down for the very first time, and we should most certainly welcome that. I am, however, keen for further reform of the EU, including bringing UK fishing waters back under UK control, for which I will certainly continue to campaign. That would significantly improve the conservation of our fisheries, which I am very happy to support I believe that the Prime Minister’s deal will go a long way to restoring British sovereignty and reducing migration to the UK. On future immigration, if we are going to put up the shutters—we do need to control it—I am concerned about what would happen to my local Derriford hospital. If we found ourselves without any nurses from abroad, that would be a significant issue.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Oliver Newton Colvile (Conservative, Centre-right): I am afraid not Businesses in Plymouth rely on the UK’s deep links. My constituency has a global reputation for marine science and engineering research. Representatives from the Plymouth marine laboratory and from maritime organisations have told me that it is important that we continue to have links to Europe. University students in my constituency also want to be able to travel abroad. I am afraid that I have doubts about what the alternative would be if we were to leave Babcock, which runs the dockyard in my constituency, signed a letter to The Financial Times, saying that it is very important that we stay in. One of the big boat manufacturers in my constituency explained to me a couple of weeks ago how difficult it is to sell boats to south America. The company has to pay a 15% premium and it is very concerned about what would happen in France and Greece if we left. They would want to protect their own businesses and boat-building industries. That is another reason that I find it difficult to deal with this whole debate Britain has a proud history of playing its part in Europe, and I want it to continue to play an important role in reforming Europe while also promoting its interests worldwide. The terms Europhile and Eurosceptic are thrown about quite a bit, but I am neither. I am not Euro-suicidal but a Euro-realist, and that is why I will be voting to remain in the EU.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: Foreign Trade
David Thomas Morris (Conservative, Centre-right): On negotiating TTIP within Europe, it is my understanding that that point is a non-issue, especially in relation to the NHS, as has been clarified many times during the past three years. Will the hon. Lady elaborate on that point?
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (Conservative, Centre-right): May I take up that point about history, for the sake of the record? In his own very good speech, my right hon. Friend did indeed refer to his grandfather’s speech. Winston Churchill was always a robust defender of European unity, but he made it absolutely clear that what he foresaw was continental European unity. No one has ever been able to find any quotation from Winston Churchill suggesting that Britain should join a European union.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Everyone would agree that the Minister is making a balanced and good speech, but I am surprised that he seems to be talking down the ability of the mighty Foreign Office, of which he is a part. Is he really saying that if, after we had left the EU, the UK and the EU thought that sanctions should be imposed on Iran, the Foreign Office would have no mechanism for discussing that with the European Union, and coming to that decision and agreement? Is he saying that those discussions can take place only from within the EU? Since when has the Foreign Office been so pathetically powerless around the world?
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): It is not my description. Provocatively, my hon. Friend is putting words in my mouth. We can step back from this particular issue to all the other issues, saying that in each case Britain would have the ability—in fact, we would have the obligation—outside the EU to step up and do all that work as well, whether it be on sanctions on Iran or any other relationships. The question is: on our own, can we exert greater leverage on a country such as Iran, which continues to have a proxy influence in Bahrain, Damascus and Syria, Baghdad and Iraq, and Yemen and Sana’a, or would we have more leverage and power by leading from within the EU? That applies right across the board.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher Robert Chope (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend seems almost pleased to paint such a grim and complex scenario, but does he accept that that is only one possible scenario? Can he tell us what contingency plans the Government are making at the moment so that leaving the European Union after the vote on 23 June is much more straightforward and that there will not be all the problems that he is talking about?
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): We will have to wait until 24 June to see whether what that crystal ball says is correct. I am not painting a scenario; it is in article 49 of the Lisbon treaty. That is what we must honour and what we signed up for. We do not have a choice in that matter—that is how it is.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher Robert Chope (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my hon. Friend accept that, under international law, it is open to any country that is party to a treaty to denounce that treaty? We could choose to denounce the treaty, repeal the European Communities Act 1972, and not do anything else.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I will contemplate and reflect on what my hon. Friend has said, but my immediate reply is that we must honour the international law to which we have signed up. A nation must first consider article 50—that is about departure and getting out, which I always said is not an easy process—and then article 49, which states how we can get back into the treaty Let us pause for a second and think of the countries that are queuing up to join the EU. I was involved a little in encouraging Bosnia to meet the necessary requirements to be accepted into the European Union, and there is also Serbia and other countries. There is a long list of countries that want to become members of the European Union, or have some kind of status—it does not have to be full membership; it could be something similar to the arrangements of Norway or Switzerland. One argument could be that Britain has to get into line—
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend shakes his head. I hope that were that horrible scenario ever to take place, recognition would be given to Britain’s place in Europe, but other countries could quite rightly say, "Hang on a minute, We have dedicated teams looking at us. Why should Britain jump the gun?"
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): Because as I understand, the heart of the argument from the leave campaign recognises that some aspects of the European Union are welcome, such as the single market and some aspects of the security situation, and that there would be a desire for re-entry so that we could have that relationship. [Interruption.] What I heard on the radio this morning is that we would renegotiate aspects of our relationship with the European Union—I have heard that again and again. If my hon. Friends are saying, "No, we will have no truck with the European Union whatsoever", that is a new direction of travel that I have not heard before, so I am grateful that the debate has clarified what the leave campaign has been after for all this time.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: Foreign Trade
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Is the Minister aware that many countries have free trade agreements with the European Union without being members of it, an example being the agreement that America is seeking to make at the moment? The future for the United Kingdom is to have free trade with the European Union from outside it, in the way that many other big countries do. Does the Minister understand that?
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: Foreign Trade
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I will heed the advice and encouragement, because other issues have been raised that we must also touch on. Let me be clear: there is a fair bit of bureaucracy to be gone through, but even securing a free trade agreement with the European Union would require a process to be followed and would not happen overnight.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: Foreign Trade
Christopher Robert Chope (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister says that we would need a free trade agreement, but does he accept that when we leave the European Union, the default position will be the World Trade Organisation rules that ensure free trade?
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: Foreign Trade
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): Let me come on to free trade, because those issues were raised in the debate and perhaps I can answer my hon. Friend’s point. The European Union is our main trading partner and, as has been said, that trade is worth more than £500 million a year. That is half our total trade in goods and services. However, we can still trade with the rest of the world as well, and the EU has free trade agreements with more than 50 countries—that is alongside the 28 countries in the single market. Around 45% of Britain’s exports are designed for the single market itself, while 56% go to the single market and to countries the EU has free trade deals with. [Interruption.] I will give way to somebody if they would like to give me a break so that I can clear my throat.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Oliver Newton Colvile (Conservative, Centre-right): Could not failing to go through the right procedures end up delaying our exit from the EU because the issue would need to go the various courts? It is a bit like when a planning application goes wrong and someone is not happy with the process.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): That is why these debates are helpful. I can only make clear what the Government’s position is. I can also ask the Minister for Europe to place a letter in the Library to set out in more detail what the consequences would be. Given the number of emails, there is clearly huge interest in this matter across the country, so I am pleased to have this opportunity to address it Guidance to the civil service was mentioned. The example was given of the fishing Minister’s dilemma in being unable to participate fully in the debate on the European Union. Of course, he can participate fully, but to clarify—the Prime Minister also responded on this issue at Prime Minister’s Question Time—the Government have a clear position, which is to recommend to the country that people vote to remain members of a reformed European Union Quite exceptionally, Ministers are being allowed to depart from the normal rules on collective responsibility, in order to dissent from the official Government position on the referendum question. However, the civil service exists—we cannot get away from that—and it is there to support the Government of the day and the policy agreed by the Government of the day. The letter published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, and subsequently extended by formal guidance from the Cabinet Secretary to civil servants, does no more than give effect to that.
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: International Affairs
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government’s view seems to be that we should stay in the European Union. I presume that even they would concede that being a member of the EU is disadvantageous in some ways, although their view overall is that it is better for us to remain. If their view on fishing, for example, is that it may be to our disadvantage to be in the EU, and the fishing Minister wanted to use the Government machinery to come up with something better, would he be allowed to do so, or are we in the ridiculous situation where every Minister has to pretend—whether it is true or not—that every aspect of EU membership is in our interests?
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: Law and Crime
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Minister confirm that, contrary to the assertions made in yesterday’s debate, when somebody comes into the UK from the European Union their entire criminal record does not flash up before the Border Force, and we do not then cart them off to kick them out of the country on that basis? Will he confirm that that was a wholly false assertion?
EU Membership (Audit of Costs and Benefits) Bill — House of Commons, 2016-02-26
Topic: Law and Crime
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I was not privy to the exact point in the debate when that comment was made, but I will ask the relevant Home Office Minister to write to my hon. Friend to clarify exactly what does happen. I am now mildly curious to find out those details myself.
National Insurance Numbers (Other EU Nationals) — House of Commons, 2016-04-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: When HM Revenue and Customs plans to publish data on the number of active national insurance numbers used by people from other EU countries.
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I will certainly take that representation on board. Of course, the north-east of England has the very large Nissan plant, which provides a significant number of jobs. The argument in the Treasury analysis is that we benefit from an open economy. If we leave the single market, we become a less open economy, which will have a cost to the British people in their living standards.
National Insurance Numbers (Other EU Nationals) — House of Commons, 2016-04-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: When HM Revenue and Customs plans to publish data on the number of active national insurance numbers used by people from other EU countries.
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The numbers are based on the ONS projection that was used at the last Budget. No account is taken of the achievements of the renegotiation secured by the Prime Minister. On the Treasury analysis, a large number of independent economic commentators have argued that it is broadly in the right direction. My hon. Friends who advocate that we should leave the EU should come forward with their own analysis, setting out exactly what model they would follow and what the economic consequences would be.
Productivity — House of Commons, 2016-04-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): Productivity performance in the UK has been weak since the financial crisis, as it has been in all developed countries. The Government published their productivity plan "Fixing the foundations" last year. At the Budget, we announced additional reductions in corporation tax and business rates to incentivise investment, and gave the green light to infrastructure projects such as Crossrail 2 and High Speed 3.
Productivity — House of Commons, 2016-04-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is right in saying that there is an issue in relation to productivity in this country, but there is an issue across all major developed economies. Over the past year, productivity growth in this country was about 1%, which compares with 0.9% across the G7. On specific measures, we have established the National Infrastructure Commission, protected science funding at the Budget and spending review, introduced the Housing and Planning Bill, announced the apprenticeship levy, which is coming in, and announced a £100 billion infrastructure programme over the course of this Parliament.
Productivity — House of Commons, 2016-04-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Neil Carmichael (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Chief Secretary to the Treasury agree that, by being a member of the European Union, this country benefits hugely from a cross-fertilisation of good ideas across the European Union, the supply chain, and foreign direct investment at 50%? Our trade, too, also benefits from our being in the single market—[Interruption.]
Productivity — House of Commons, 2016-04-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): We recognise that there is an issue with productivity, which is why we published the productivity plan, but in terms of growth, the UK was the fastest-growing major economy in 2014. Last year, we were in second place; this year we are also projected to be in second place, growing at a healthy rate. Therefore, with regard to growth, this country is doing very well indeed.
Productivity — House of Commons, 2016-04-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Damian Noel Thomas Collins (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Chief Secretary to the Treasury agree that £540 billion invested by foreign businesses in the UK over the past decade is vital to our future productivity, and that, if we left the EU, the uncertainty of our trading relationship with Europe and the world would put that investment in jeopardy?