argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Online and In-person Communal Worship: Covid-19 Restrictions — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Civil Rights
Martin John Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his reply. It is welcome that the Church is encouraging this both online and in-person. For those housebound, who perhaps in the past have only received home communion, to be able to participate more is very welcome, but nothing can actually replace the fellowship of being a part of a real-life congregation. Can he give an absolute assurance that no barriers will be put in the way of achieving that?
Online and In-person Communal Worship: Covid-19 Restrictions — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Civil Rights
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): I could not agree with my hon. Friend more, and I can give him a complete assurance that the Church of England fully recognises the importance that so many people attach to worshipping communally together in church. At the same time, we are very keen not to lose those who join us online, and we hope we will be able to get to know many of our new online attendees as soon as possible in due course.
Choral Singing in Churches and Cathedrals: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Civil Rights
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): The Church is having ongoing discussions with the Government about when choral and communal singing in churches and cathedrals can return, and I am very aware how frustrating the current situation is for choirs across the country.
Choral Singing in Churches and Cathedrals: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Michael Louis David Fabricant (Conservative, Centre-right): Some people relax with yoga, others with tai chi—perhaps you do, Mr Speaker—but in the good old days when I used to have a week in Westminster and then get back to Lichfield, I unwound by going to evensong in Lichfield cathedral, which is very relaxing indeed. Whatever reason people go to evensong—perhaps even religious reasons, for worship—there is a need for it to be restored. What assurance can my hon. Friend give that, come 19 July, things will truly get back to normal in Lichfield and elsewhere?
Restoration and Renewal: Procurement Opportunities — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): Absolutely; my hon. Friend is quite right. The programme is currently developing its supply chain plans to help to ensure that the benefits of the programme are felt across the country. There is also an innovative loan scheme for apprentices to be employed by the programme and then loaned to businesses working on the restoration, and dozens of young people from more disadvantaged areas will be offered paid internships and placements in a partnership with the Social Mobility Foundation.
Rewilding in New Tenancy Agreements — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Public Lands
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): I continue to be grateful to the hon. Lady. The Church wants to be an exemplar in this area. I can tell her that we expect the results of the natural capital audit shortly and will use it to see where we can enhance the environment of our rural land after we have listened to and collected the necessary data from our tenants.
Voter Registration: Principal Residence and Secondary Address — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Civil Rights
Steven John Baker (Conservative, Centre-right): If the Commission will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a system for voter registration requiring a person to (a) indicate their principal residence allowing them to vote in parliamentary elections and (b) register a secondary address which would allow for voting in local elections only.
Church Estates: Rewilding, Tree-planting and Sustainable Farming — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Public Lands
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): I can tell the hon. Gentleman that like him I want to see a lot more trees planted. The Church in 2020 planted 1.1 million trees, on top of the 2.6 million we planted in 2019. Page 24 of the 2020 annual report shows our top 20 property holdings and our top 20 equity holdings.
Net Zero Target — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): We estimate that the net carbon footprint for our church buildings is 12.5% lower than in 2006. We have developed an energy footprint tool, which has been shortlisted for an award at this year’s Energy Awards, and 38% of our parishes have engaged with the footprint tool. I suggest to my hon. Friend that she encourages parishes in her constituency to do so as well.
Net Zero Target — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Selaine Rachel Saxby (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure that my hon. Friend would agree that small rural churches, of which there are many in my North Devon constituency, have an important role to play in hitting net zero. I know many congregants who are keen to do more with their local church to help. Will he explain what the Government are doing to promote the role that individuals and small rural churches can play together in this national issue?
Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Australia — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): Let me be absolutely clear that we are not lowering our food import standards as a result of this deal. We are absolutely maintaining that, so no hormone-injected beef will be allowed into the United Kingdom. Let me just be clear: all of the questions coming from the Opposition side of the House seem to imply that we need regulatory harmonisation with everybody we trade with. That is the EU model; we have left the EU. We believe that other countries should be in charge of their own rules and regulations, and we should have the sovereignty to set our own rules and regulations. What Opposition Members seem to be arguing for is global regulatory harmonisation.
Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Australia — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): The fact is that there is very little Australian beef imported at the moment. What makes much more sense is to compare the amount in year one, 35,000 tonnes, with the amount that we currently import from the EU, which is 230,000 tonnes of beef. I do not remember the hon. Gentleman complaining when we agreed a tariff-free, quota-free deal with the EU, which is exporting far more beef and lamb than under our agreement with Australia. In fact, the likelihood is that, over time, some of those Australian exports will simply replace exports from the EU.
Future of the Planning System in England — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Housing
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): We now come to the Select Committee statement. Clive Betts will speak for up to 10 minutes. At the conclusion of his statement, I will call Members to put questions on the subject of the statement and call Mr Betts to respond to these in turn. I call the Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Clive Betts.
Future of the Planning System in England — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Housing
Peter James Bottomley (Conservative, Centre-right): The whole House—those who are here virtually and those who are here physically—will want to thank the members of the Committee and its Chairman for the work they have put into this report and the work they do on other parts of planning and housing I am glad that the Chairman said that the Committee is going to do a review of permitted development rights. The notorious statutory instrument 2020/632 is causing chaos all round England I want to add to what the Chairman said—he said that he could not cover every point—to reinforce the absence of the words "local councillor" in the planning statement. It seems to me that the Government need to realise that Members of Parliament matter and so do local councillors, especially in the planning process I am glad that the Chairman of the Committee raised the point about non-housing development, whether that is commercial development or making provision, where there is large-scale development, for churches, sports areas, children’s facilities and the like, so that a whole community is held in mind I would like to end by inviting the Chairman of the Committee to come with the Minister to my two planning authorities, Arun District Council and Worthing Borough Council, to look down from the chalk garden at Highdown, which is well renovated now, look at the vineyard and then look at the north and south Goring gap, and give assurances to my constituents that that green area around the town of Worthing, the largest in West Sussex, will not be built on as a result of anything in these proposals. If it were metropolitan, it would be green belt and protected. It is not. It still should be protected We should not have to build on every strategic gap between one town and a village, or between the hamlet of Kingston and the villages of East Preston, Ferring and Goring. Please come.
Future of the Planning System in England — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Housing
Robert John Blackman (Conservative, Centre-right): It will come as no surprise to the Chairman of the Select Committee that I agree with every word of his statement and of the report that we have published. Does he agree, however, that one of the prime concerns is that if the Government come forward with zoning of particular areas within a local authority area, and if a growth area is to be used with planning permission not going through the normal process, it will be essential that those areas are subject to a full public consultation by the local planning authority, setting out clearly the boundaries for height, density and other aspects of development on the site before any developer is allowed to get on site and do as they choose?
Future of the Planning System in England — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Housing
Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate the Chairman and his Committee on producing a very comprehensive and constructive report on this all-encompassing subject. In the report, he says: "We think the Government’s abandonment of its proposed formula for determining housing need is the correct decision." For many areas, such as the Cotswolds, the formula would have produced a staggering 144% increase in housing numbers, but it would not have addressed the affordability ratio. Can he suggest what his Committee’s recommendations to the Government would be on a revised approach, and, importantly, whether affordability and housing mix—the need for smaller properties or flats for first-time buyers and elderly people who are downsizing—should be considered?
Future of the Planning System in England — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Housing
David Mervyn Johnston (Conservative, Centre-right): I add my thanks to the hon. Gentleman and his Committee for the report. Does he agree that most of our constituents are not necessarily opposed to planning reform or to more housing, but that they want to feel that their area is not getting a disproportionate share of that housing and that what goes up needs to be good quality, good for the environment, genuinely affordable and supported by the right infrastructure?
Future of the Planning System in England — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Housing
Robert James MacGillivray Neill (Conservative, Centre-right): I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I, too, congratulate the Chair of the Select Committee and his colleagues on an excellent report. I particularly welcome the emphasis that has been put today on the need for continuing involvement for elected representatives of local communities and the communities themselves, because, done properly, planning is not just about building, but about shaping communities and the infrastructure and other services that form part of them. Will he also help us on what might be done to increase the supply of qualified planners? Many local authorities struggle with their staffing levels. What more can we do to get good people into the system and keep them there?
Misuse of Drugs Act — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Other
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): This is a very important debate and we have another important debate following. I will not introduce a time limit at this juncture, but I ask Members making contributions to be mindful of the length of those contributions in order that we can get everybody in.
Misuse of Drugs Act — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Other
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): I ask every Member to focus on not speaking for more than five minutes, if they could. I will not put a time limit on yet, but I may be forced to in order to protect other business.
Misuse of Drugs Act — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Mixed Topics
Kieran John Mullan (Conservative, Centre-right): If the central analysis is that the legislation is the cause of the problem, and the legislation is exactly the same in Scotland as in England, how does that account for the fact that the problem in Scotland, on some metrics, is more than twice as bad?
Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Civil Rights
Gareth Mark Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Throughout our history, rape and sexual violence have been used as weapons of war. They are horrendous crimes so it is important that we debate the subject today. Let me first congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Totnes (Anthony Mangnall) not just on giving a great, well-informed speech but for all his work over many years on this subject, and his leadership of the APPG, of which I am very pleased to be a member. It is good to see a man with a leading voice on this important issue, for it is overwhelmingly men who are the perpetrators of these horrendous crimes. Our gender has an incredibly important role in helping to drive action against those responsible, and my hon. Friend is at the forefront, leading the calls It is also an important time to have this debate, in the context of the global pandemic, for we know that the pandemic has exacerbated gender inequality, and we know that gender equality is one of the key drivers of gender-based violence. My hon. Friend pointed out that the United Nations estimated that last year, in just six months of the lockdown, 31 million cases of gender-based violence were recorded. By my rough maths, that is about five million a month—truly staggering—so it is incredibly important that we meet today to discuss this We should not forget that much progress has been made over the last decade. The Murad code—the global code of conduct—was introduced by Lord Ahmad and Nadia Murad for the recording of sensitive information from survivors, and that should be applauded. Our British armed forces are playing an important role, with British troops now receiving comprehensive pre-deployment training on preventing sexual exploitation, abuse and violence against women. We have also made strong commitments to ensuring that UN peacekeeping is equipped to tackle sexual violence. Indeed, on the international stage, 150 countries have now endorsed the declaration of commitment to end sexual violence in conflict. Some progress is being made but, as Lord Hague of Richmond has pointed out, apathy does endure, sadly, on the world stage so we must go further to re-engage the international community The main point that I want to make today is that I entirely endorse and wholeheartedly support those calling for a new international, independent, permanent body focused on the collection of evidence. Ultimately, the way we solve this issue is to increase prosecutions, and I believe that this body could help drive that forward. Britain could help drive that forward The situation you walk past is the situation you accept. It was Plato who once said, "Only the dead have truly seen the end of war." If military conflict is to endure, let it be Britain that ensures that the existence of rape as a weapon of war does not.
Miscarriage Research: The Lancet — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): I would like to thank the Minister for the sensitive way in which she has responded to the great courage that the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Olivia Blake) has shown in bringing this subject to the Chamber. Most of us have never dared to raise these matters here because we know the reaction that we would previously have got, but now we have made a difference, and the hon. Lady and the Minister have made a big difference today in treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves here in this Chamber Question put and agreed to.
Planning Rules — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Housing
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Secretary of State to his role The Gosport peninsula is more than 80% built on, and a further 12% of it is conservation area. There is simply nowhere to build the wildly unrealistic 2014 housing numbers without decimating any remaining green areas and, of course, the vital strategic gap. Worse, the 2018 Office for National Statistics population data reveal that our actual housing need is 3,000 fewer homes. I really understand that the nation needs houses, but this Government champion localism. Will he please give me hope that they will not be imposing unrealistic, outdated housing numbers on us?
Planning Rules — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Housing
Michael Andrew Gove (Conservative, Centre-right): It is still something of a surprise to me, Mr Speaker. I do not know what it is like for you I completely understand the unique issues faced by my hon. Friend’s constituents. The unique geography of the peninsula and the communities she represents poses particular challenges when it comes not just to meeting local housing need, but to respecting the environment and, indeed, the nature of the communities and their special cherishable character. As we take forward our proposals for planning reform, we will be balancing the need for new housing with environmental concerns and also the vital importance of listening to local people.
Planning Rules — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Housing
Julie Marson (Conservative, Centre-right): The Harlow and Gilston garden town development is the largest release of green-belt land for our housing for generations. The scale of the challenge for magnificent community groups such as the Hunsdon, Eastwick and Gilston neighbourhood plan group to get their voices heard is a David and Goliath challenge. Does my right hon. Friend agree that we need to listen to and trust local people, and will he meet me to discuss this project and how it can provide a live case study for the design of future planning reform?
Planning Rules — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Housing
Michael Andrew Gove (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes a very important point. It is thanks to the work of organisations such as the Hunsdon, Eastwick and Gilston neighbourhood plan group that we involve local communities in making these uniquely sensitive decisions. As we consider our plans for the future, one thing we want to do is to make sure that the voice of local people is integrated more effectively into planning decisions.
Planning Rules — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Housing
David Mervyn Johnston (Conservative, Centre-right): The two district councils that Wantage and Didcot cover are in the top 10 areas of England for houses built, but in the bottom third for infrastructure. People would be less unhappy with the house building if it came with more GP surgeries, the reopening of Grove station and better roads. Will my right hon. Friend assure me that, as he reforms planning, there will be a greater emphasis on improving infrastructure to support the population that the houses come with?
Planning Rules — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Housing
Michael Andrew Gove (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Across the country, many people would welcome new housing development enthusiastically if they had the assurance of knowing that there was sufficient investment in infrastructure to ensure that public services and other utilities were there for them so that additional pressure was not applied unequally. His argument is correct, and it has been incorporated into our thinking about the future of planning reform.
Planning Rules — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Other
Michael Andrew Gove (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who is a very distinguished Select Committee Chair. At the danger of establishing a treacly consensus right from the very beginning, may I say that I entirely agreed with the first part of his question? As for the second part, I certainly welcome that direction of travel.
Planning Rules — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Housing
Michael Andrew Gove (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the hon. Lady for taking me back to the halcyon days of 2016; it was not so much a torpedo being launched as an unexploded bomb going off in my own hands. As the former Member for Kensington and Chelsea, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, pointed out, one of the things about committing political suicide is that you always live to regret it On the hon. Lady’s broader point, it is only fair to say that the planning White Paper was mischaracterised by many. There is so much that is good in it, but it is important that we listen to concerns that were expressed in order to ensure that an already powerful and compelling suite of proposals is even more effective.
Domestic Abuse Victims: Safe Accommodation — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Justice on increasing the supply of safe accommodation for domestic abuse victims.
Edmund Francis Hughes (Conservative, Centre-right): My Department works with others across the Government to tackle this serious issue. I am pleased that on 1 October the new duties in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force to require local authorities to provide support for all victims who need safe accommodation. We are supporting councils with £125 million this year to help them to deliver on those duties.
Building Safety — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Housing
Christopher John Pincher (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government’s landmark Building Safety Bill will drive the most significant regulatory, cultural and behavioural improvements to building safety in a generation. In addition, as the House will know, we are investing £5.1 billion of taxpayers’ money to remove unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings, with a new tax and levy on industry. We will offer further support to leaseholders in buildings between 11 metres and 18 metres high.
Building Safety — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Housing
Christopher John Pincher (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady will know that through the building safety fund we have now distributed £734 million for 689 identified buildings—identified by local councils and communities, which are best placed to do this—with the result that 65,000 homes are now in the process of being remediated. Ninety-seven per cent. of buildings with unsafe aluminium composite material cladding have been remediated or are in the process of so being. Of course we want to speed up the process and of course we will work with developers, local authorities and fire and rescue services to make sure that the work is being done. It is being done, it shall be done: she can be assured of that.