argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Other
Michael James Tomlinson-Mynors (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend mentioned the consultation and invited us to withdraw our amendments. Does he agree that it would be otiose—unnecessary—for us to repeat the suggestions that we have already made? This debate should be formally submitted to the consultation so that Members of Parliament do not need to write further submissions. Those involved in the consultation could simply read the Hansard reports of Second Reading, our Committee proceedings, Report and, hopefully, Third Reading.
Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Other
Michael James Tomlinson-Mynors (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way. She is making such a powerful speech. I well remember the very first time I heard her speak so powerfully—during the Adjournment debate to which I referred a few moments ago. I have perhaps allowed her 30 seconds to compose herself before she concludes her remarks.
Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Other
Richard Harrington (Conservative, Centre-right): I will not go through the long list of speakers, because other Members have already done so. Let me merely endorse what they have said Bills such as this give rise to two types of emotion: one prompted by our political views or policy ideas; and the other due to our personal experiences or those of our constituents. We have felt a great deal of the second type of emotion today. It would not be right for me to single out individual Members’ moving and emotional speeches. In my eight years in the House, I have never experienced anything quite like them—certainly not as a Minister responding to a debate I covered most of the points on Report, but I should mention some of the voluntary and other organisations and people who have taken part in this whole process: Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity; Together for Short Lives; and Lucy Herd of Jack’s Rainbow. I hope that they are pleased with the progress that we have made today. People campaign, they lobby their MPs and MPs campaign, but in the House today, MPs have spoken on the basis of their own personal and, I am afraid, tragic experiences. That is different from normal politics Being present, as the Minister responding to the Bill, from 9.30 am until 2 pm has meant more to me than just being on duty. It has been an experience that I will not forget. I am very pleased and very proud to be, in my small way, a part of this process, and to reconfirm the Government’s commitment to the Bill. I look forward to the speedy progress of consultation and secondary legislation, and I am sure that the other place will be as supportive as we have been today Question put and agreed to. Bill accordingly read the Third time and passed.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): I take on board the hon. Gentleman’s point about not comparing voting to other things, but we cannot gloss over it as simply as that. Is it not contradictory to say that those aged 16 cannot gamble, smoke or drink, but they can vote? In fact, it was Labour who said in 2005 that those under 18 should not be gambling online; have they changed their mind on that as well?
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): I am conscious that we are short of time, although we should be having a full and comprehensive parliamentary debate on this matter. I welcome the cross-party support on this issue. I have worked with colleagues across the House on it, and I stand in support of the Bill today. This is not about party politics; it is about civic engagement. I support the Bill not because I am under some misguided belief that a 16 or 17-year-old would still consider me to be a young person but because of the evidence provided by the participation of 16 and 17-year-olds in the Scottish referendum and the subsequent Holyrood and local elections. So, what is that evidence? For anyone who was involved in the referendum in 2014, it was a pretty intense political process. One highlight of the campaign was going to the Hydro in Glasgow for a debate in which 16 and 17-year-olds came up with some of the most insightful and well-informed questions for our political leaders on one of the most important constitutional issues for our country This is not just about the standard of debate, however. The figures back this up as well. The Electoral Commission report on the 2014 referendum showed that 75% of 16 and 17-year-olds voted in the referendum, and the commission’s report on the subsequent Holyrood election showed that 78% of 16 to 17-year-olds voted in that election. That is higher than the figure for the 18 to 35-year-olds. I can reassure my Conservative colleagues that those 16 to 17-year-olds showed a greater propensity to vote Conservative than the 18-to-35s, so there are no worries about the direction of travel One issue that has been raised is that of demand. Do 16 and 17-year-olds actually want the vote? Although Scotland has led the way, the NUS should also be applauded for the campaign it has been running in colleges up and down the country to assess the level of support for voting at 16 and 17. It has run a vibrant and proactive campaign.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): If we are allowing 16-year-olds to vote and be part of the political process, yes, they should be part of the judicial process as well We have talked a lot about consistency today, and I want to turn to whether there is a difference between allowing 16-year-olds to vote and allowing them to drink, to smoke or to use sunbeds, which is a question that has been raised in Wales. The only thing that is consistent about the age-related laws in this country is their inconsistency. In pretty much every aspect of our age-related laws, we choose different levels at which to give people access. For a long time, people could vote at 18 but they could become an MP only at 21. That was changed in 2006. I see no reason why we should not have differentiated laws, allowing people to vote at 16 and run for office at 18. That is entirely consistent with saying that we want civic engagement. People would be allowed to vote before taking the next step of having the responsibility of representing 75,000-plus people.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. We do not need to have consistency right across the board. These different age-related laws are quite separate and they are not contingent on one another. We should not allow them to muddy the waters and clog up this debate.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes a perfectly valid point about the appropriate voting age, and I question whether 16 is the right one. I have just left a meeting with a bunch of schoolchildren in the education centre, where they were asking me the most sophisticated questions, some of which—dare I say it?—were far more sophisticated than the questions I get from their parents—[Interruption] —much as I respect the constituents of Mid Worcestershire, of course! I may have to dig myself carefully out of that one. My point is that there are some incredibly sophisticated children in this country, and they can be engaged in politics, but whether they should vote is a different question.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): As my hon. Friend’s point proves, age and wisdom do not necessarily go hand in hand—[Laughter.] The UK Youth Parliament and Scottish Youth Parliament representatives from my constituency have strongly advocated for votes at 16 and 17, and I applaud them for their representations. I am fortunate to have visited schools across my constituency, from Morrison’s Academy to Lornshill Academy, and the support for votes at 16 and 17 is there in the schools. Young people are engaged with the debate, and they are not only engaging within their age group, but challenging their parents and grandparents. We have a richer democratic discourse as a result.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Other
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman makes a point about the Scottish Parliament, but at the risk of getting slightly party political, I would draw his attention to the fact only one such piece of legislation was put before the Scottish Parliament in 2016-17, so its legislative example is not exactly leading the way. I will not take lectures on that from him in this place.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): I am glad that the hon. Gentleman has made his point of order. I did not like the use of the word "corrupt", but I appreciate that he was not calling any Member corrupt, so I did not call him to order. He has recognised that moderation is best, and I thank him for his point of order.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): Returning to votes at 16 and 17, I was about to talk about the risk of having different standards across the United Kingdom, which should not be the case. As a base minimum, we should allow 16 and 17-year-olds in England to vote in their local elections, as they can in Scotland Education was present in the previous private Member’s Bill on this topic, but it is absent from this one, so I want to highlight the importance of civic engagement across the UK and to tackle those who say that 16 and 17-year-olds do not have the right level of education or world experience to take part in a democratic process.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Mixed Topics
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): As a fellow Unionist, I think that is something we constantly need to combat. We have to remember that Westminster is Scotland’s Parliament, too. As MPs, it is incumbent on us to go into schools to make sure we are just as accessible as many MSPs or local councillors.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): I could not agree more. As a basic minimum, we should make sure everyone can participate in local elections at 16 and 17 On civic engagement, the previous private Member’s Bill, the Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement and Education) Bill, would have specifically provided for constitutional education across the United Kingdom. Obviously, education is devolved, so the exact delivery of such education is at the discretion of the devolved Administrations, but the content should be uniform across the United Kingdom I remind the House again that the United Kingdom would not exist without a Scottish king. The political Union that sees the unicorn side by side with the lion, and the thistle, the rose and the harp we see in every cornice and on every bit of woodwork in this building, is a reminder that this is Scotland’s Parliament, England’s Parliament, Wales’s Parliament and Northern Ireland’s Parliament together. We should make laws that bind us together and provide rights to us together We spoke earlier about consistency, and my hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Alex Chalk) mentioned the judiciary. Again, I make the point that these laws are not contingent on each other. Like many in this House, I believe that 16 and 17-year-olds have the wit and wisdom to be able to differentiate between different rights and different activities. We should take each of those topics on its individual merit. If he wants to change the position on 16 and 17-year-olds serving on juries, I look forward to his private Member’s Bill, which I am sure will be forthcoming.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Civil Rights
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): I would more than welcome a review, but we have to be careful that we do not turn such a review into another royal commission and another formal debate. We need action. We usually ask for a review when we do not have any evidence, but we have clear evidence in Scotland on the participation of 16 and 17-year-olds, on how they are contributing to our democratic discourse and on how they are influencing and participating in local democracy. We do not need a review; we need more action.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Mixed Topics
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes a valuable point, and I certainly was not aware of that figure. I would be grateful if he shared the figure with me and other members of the all-party parliamentary group on votes at 16. This House probably should have learned the lesson by now that taxation without representation can lead to unforeseen and unfortunate consequences, so I hope that we can seek to avoid that in future. Many speeches and column inches are taken up with how to engage with young people. A huge multitude of think- tanks, debate nights and academic pursuits—
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point of order. The first part of it alleges negligence on the part of the Chair, so I cannot allow that to stand. No filibustering has taken place in this House today, because if such a thing had occurred, I would have stopped it. It is the case that we had one Bill that went through two stages and it took a long time to do that. Therefore, this Bill has had only half an hour’s consideration. That is perfectly proper under the rules of the House. His question about changing the procedures is a very good one that has merit, although I of course express no opinion as far as that is concerned. I suggest that he, and any other Members who feel as he does, should consult the Chairman of the Procedure Committee, who might wish to consider the points that he has made.
Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill — House of Commons, 2018-05-11
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): It is normal for the Second Reading debate on a Bill to have some three, four or five hours on the Floor of the House. This Bill has had only 28 minutes this afternoon, but the matter is not up to me. It is normal to have considerably longer than 28 minutes to deal with very important matters The debate stood adjourned (Standing Order No. 11(2)). Ordered, That the debate be resumed on Friday 26 October.
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping is a key priority for me and my Ministry. That is why we are spending more than £1 billion through to 2020. We are implementing the most ambitious legislative reform in decades—the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017—and we have established the rough sleeping and homelessness reduction taskforce.
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
William James Quince (Conservative, Centre-right): The all-party group on ending homelessness recently took evidence on the success of rapid rehousing models in Denmark. What consideration has my right hon. Friend given to the merits of rolling out such programmes alongside the faster and wider roll-out of Housing First in England?
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): May I first pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the important role that he has played as the co-chair of the all-party group on ending homelessness? He is absolutely right to point to international experience when looking at the huge challenge that this country faces. As he knows, Housing First has come from the experience of others, particularly Finland. I thank him for his support.
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Michael Louis David Fabricant (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree with Catherine Street of the Memorial University of Newfoundland that the causes of homelessness and sleeping on the streets are very many and complex, and that this is not just down to a lack of housing? Will my right hon. Friend take the opportunity to go to the west midlands to visit Mayor Andy Street to see the work and initiatives that he is undertaking to prevent the problem?
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend mentions two Streets; I agree with him on both. Catherine Street is absolutely right about the complex causes of homelessness, particularly rough sleeping. Andy Street, the Mayor of the west midlands, has really led the way on this, including with the Housing First project.
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right to point to the causes of homelessness. Of course, a number of people who sleep on our streets are not from the UK. Everyone deserves help, but we must look carefully at the causes of homelessness. My Department is working carefully and closely with the Home Office to see what more we can do.
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with the hon. Lady that anyone who is homeless, particularly anyone who is sleeping rough, deserves the help of central and local government. We have more than 48 different types of projects in place—many of them are community-led and many are funded directly by the Government—that are designed to reduce the number of people on our streets and those suffering from homelessness.
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander John Gervase Chalk (Conservative, Centre-right): The last official survey in Cheltenham found nine homeless people, each of whom is a living rebuke to us to do more. Will the Secretary of State join me in thanking all the staff at the P3 charity who are ensuring that the £1 million social impact bond provided by central Government is being used to provide one-to-one support?
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I commend the P3 charity for its work. I know that my hon. Friend has taken a lot of interest in this. The Government have helped to fund some eight social impact bonds to help with rough sleeping, including the one in Cheltenham, and they are making a huge difference.
Homelessness — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady rightly emphasises the point about learning from each other. Where Scotland has had success on homelessness and rough sleeping, we shall certainly look into that, and we will seek other examples in the UK. My hon. Friend the Housing Minister is visiting Scotland later this week and will be looking at that particular issue.
Homeowners: Mortgage Costs — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the best ways in which the Government can support homeowners with their mortgage costs is by ensuring that the economy remains strong and competitive so that employment is high and interest rates are as low as possible.
Homeowners: Mortgage Costs — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that the right hon. Gentleman is referring to the support for mortgage interest policy, on which the DWP leads. The Government are right to strike the right balance between the needs of hard-pressed homeowners and the taxpayer. If he is really interested in helping homeowners, perhaps he can explain to his constituents why he voted against the stamp duty cut that this Government implemented.
Homeowners: Mortgage Costs — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that the hon. Lady misunderstands the policy—at least it certainly seems so, given the way she described it. The Government are not withdrawing support; we are making it fairer and ensuring that it is still available. The support will be loan-based, with a soft loan secured on the individual’s property. This also protects the rights of taxpayers, and I would have thought that she would be interested in doing that.
Help To Buy Scheme — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): It is good news that Help to Buy has helped more homes to get built. It has contributed to about 14% of new build since 2015. I personally share some of the hon. Gentleman’s concerns about executive pay, but I gently remind him that it was this Government who introduced the corporate governance reforms in August, including to make sure that there is greater transparency and greater shareholder grip over directors’ pay.
Help To Buy Scheme — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that some factual clarification would help the hon. Gentleman, because four out of five of those benefiting from Help to Buy have been first-time buyers, and three out of five households benefiting from Help to Buy had combined incomes of £50,000 or less. We are on their side; it is a shame that Labour is not.
Adult Social Care Funding — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Michael Mark Prisk (Conservative, Centre-right): When the then Communities and Local Government Committee adopted the Bill introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) that became the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, Ministers, to their credit, engaged really positively to make that Bill work. May I urge the Minister to be just as positive about the planned joint Committee inquiry into the funding of adult care? Indeed, Front Benchers on both sides of the House will need to engage with that process if we are to have a long-term answer.
Help To Buy Scheme — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): The number of first-time buyers was at an 11-year high in 2017, at 365,000 across the UK. That shows that our concerted action to get more people into home ownership through initiatives such as Help to Buy and the new stamp duty exemption for first-time buyers is working.
Help To Buy Scheme — House of Commons, 2018-03-12
Topic: Housing
David John Warburton (Conservative, Centre-right): It sounds like my right hon. Friend agrees with me that home ownership is a fundamentally good thing. Some 86% of our fellow citizens aspire to it, and there is nothing like spreading the economic benefits of ownership more widely in society. Does he further agree that we should use every policy lever at our disposal to encourage home ownership and to give those all-important first-time buyers a leg up on to the ladder?