argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
English Votes for English Laws — House of Commons, 2021-07-13
Topic: Government Operations
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): It is good to be one of only two representatives of middle England objecting to the proposals to abolish these Standing Orders. My 2011 private Member’s Bill, the Legislation (Territorial Extent) Bill, put pressure on the coalition Government to set up the commission that put forward the EVEL proposals, and I well remember the Lord President of the Council—in those days he was merely the Member for North East Somerset—making his speech. He is noted not only for being a great historian but now for being a seer and someone who can foretell the future, because he said that one day, a Government would be able to come in and simply abolish these Standing Orders. I very much regret that it is he who is doing it I think that we can all see the mood of the House this evening—we can all see that the motion is going to carry—but we must recognise that this was a pledge in the Conservative party manifesto in 2010 and 2015. It was a pledge that was there for a reason: because, at the time, our constituents were raising this on the doorstep as something they were very concerned about. A solution was put in place through the Standing Orders. As the Lord President said, it has not necessarily been needed in the interim, but it is not impossible to envisage a scenario in which its absence really would cause constitutional problems in this country. I regret very much that these Standing Orders are being abolished without a proposal for any kind of replacement to deal with that.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority — House of Commons, 2021-07-13
Topic: Government Operations
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (Conservative, Centre-right): I beg to move, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that Her Majesty will appoint Richard Lloyd OBE to the office of Chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority with effect from 1 September 2021 for the period ending on 31 August 2026 The Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has produced a report, its first report of 2021, in relation to this motion The chairman of IPSA is appointed under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, and candidates must be selected on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition. The name of any candidate must be approved by the Speaker’s Committee for IPSA In this regard, a recruitment process for a new chairman was initially launched in the spring of 2020. That was paused and then subsequently started afresh. As is normal for these appointments, Mr Speaker appointed a panel, who conducted the longlisting, shortlisting and interviewing of candidates. The panel was chaired by Philippa Helme CB. The other members of the panel were Michelle Barnes, an independent panel member; Cindy Butts, a lay member of the Speaker’s Committee for IPSA; and Sir David Crausby, former Member of Parliament for Bolton North East. The panel was asked to report to Mr Speaker with a list of candidates it considered suitable for appointment to the role. After carefully considering the panel’s report, Mr Speaker recommended Richard Lloyd to the Speaker’s Committee as his preferred candidate for the post. At its meeting on 15 June, the Speaker’s Committee agreed to Mr Speaker’s selection of Mr Lloyd Richard Lloyd is currently a member of the IPSA board and has been interim chairman since 2019. I must say that he has been very approachable and friendly to deal with in that role. He is also senior independent director at the Financial Conduct Authority, a council member of the Advertising Standards Authority, and vice-chairman and founding trustee of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute. If the appointment is made, Richard Lloyd will serve as the chairman of IPSA for five years. I hope that the House will support this appointment and wish Mr Lloyd well in his important role. I commend the Humble Address to the House.
Committees — House of Commons, 2021-07-13
Topic: Government Operations
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): With the leave of the House I will take motions 13 to 17 together Ordered, Education That Fleur Anderson be discharged from the Education Committee and Kate Osborne be added International Trade That Taiwo Owatemi be discharged from the International Trade Committee and Tony Lloyd be added Justice That Paula Barker be discharged from the Justice Committee and Kate Hollern be added Petitions That Chris Evans be discharged from the Petitions Committee and Christina Rees be added Public Accounts That Olivia Blake be discharged from the Committee of Public Accounts and Kate Osamor be added.—(Stuart Andrew, on behalf of the Committee of Selection.)
Tourism Industry: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Transportation
Gordon Leonard Henderson (Conservative, Centre-right): As more people decide to holiday at home in the UK, we have a golden opportunity to improve the economy of our seaside communities, some of which have high levels of social deprivation. However, to direct visitors to those areas, we need more brown tourist signs on motorways and major trunk roads. What support can my hon. Friend give to the campaign in my constituency to get Highways England to put up a brown tourist sign on the M2 to showcase the many wonderful attractions on the Isle of Sheppey?
Tourism Industry: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Transportation
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): I commend my hon. Friend for his work on behalf of tourism businesses on the Isle of Sheppey. The purpose of brown signs is primarily to direct road users to a tourism attraction or facility to aid the efficient management of traffic. They are not meant to be billboards or adverts as such, but, as he articulated, they do fulfil a useful purpose. He will be aware that such decisions are for local authorities and Highways England, but I appeal to them to listen sympathetically to his request.
Channel 4 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale (Conservative, Centre-right): As part of our ongoing strategic review of the UK’s system of public service broadcasting, the Government are consulting this summer on the future of Channel 4, including its ownership model and remit, and we intend to engage a broad range of stakeholders to inform any decisions taken.
Channel 4 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is right that Channel 4 does not have an in-house production company, which means that it is entirely dependent on advertising revenue, which is one of the reasons why we think it right to look at the ownership model, but it does support independent production right across the United Kingdom. That is part of its remit and we intend to preserve the remit, although we will be examining whether that needs to be changed—indeed, possibly strengthened in some areas—as part of our consultation.
Channel 4 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale (Conservative, Centre-right): I share the hon. Gentleman’s view that Channel 4, which was, of course, the creation of a Conservative Government, has done an excellent job and it is our intention to sustain it into the future. That is why we believe that now is the right time to look at its future ownership, because it is coming under increasing pressure due to the changes taking place in the way in which television is consumed. While I may not always agree with "Channel 4 News", I do believe it does a good job. I very strongly support plurality of news providers and would expect that Channel 4 will continue to feature a news service as part of its future offering, and that would remain part of its remit.
Channel 4 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
Julian Carlton Knight (Conservative, Centre-right): My own personal view, and I stress that it is my personal view, is that the recovery of Channel 4 and the evolving media landscape warrant close consideration of privatisation and sale. Four years is a lifetime in the modern media marketplace. Does the Minister agree that this would be a good juncture at which also to consider whether Channel 4 could be bolstered by a merger with ITV or even by hiving off BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, which has often underperformed but has tremendous international potential to build scale for Channel 4?
Channel 4 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to my hon. Friend, and I commend him and his Select Committee for the excellent report on public service broadcasting that they produced recently, which drew attention to the fact that the way in which we consume television is changing fast and that the switch from linear to digital is taking place even more quickly than some people anticipated. We have reached no conclusion as to the appropriate future ownership model for Channel 4—we maintain a completely open mind—but he raises a number of interesting possibilities and we look forward to seeing what submissions we receive as part of the consultation.
Channel 4 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is wrong on several counts. It is the case that Channel 4 recorded a profit last year, and I commend the management for taking the action that made that possible, but the reason they did so was because they cut the amount of money that they spent on content by £140 million in anticipation of a big fall in advertising revenue, which indeed took place. It is to sustain Channel 4 going forward that we are looking at the possibility of alternative ownership models, and it would certainly be our intention that Channel 4 would do more outside London and across the United Kingdom, not less.
Channel 4 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale (Conservative, Centre-right): I am extremely impressed by the hon. Gentleman’s viewing habits, although I notice he left out "Naked Attraction", which certainly does appeal to diverse tastes. However, I absolutely agree that Channel 4 has been responsible for some great programmes over the years, and it is our intention that it should be able to continue to do that in the coming years. It is precisely because it is going to need access to investment capital in order to maintain that record that we think now is the right time to consider alternative models, but we have not reached any conclusion yet.
Electronic Communications Code — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
Matthew Robert Warman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are currently considering the responses to the consultation on the electronic communications code, which closed in March, and we will, of course, carefully consider the impact of our proposals on all stakeholders, including community organisations, which we all value so highly.
Digital Connectivity: Rural Areas — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
Matthew Robert Warman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are focused intently on improving digital infrastructure and connectivity in rural areas, both through the £5 billion Project Gigabit programme and the £1 billion shared rural network. That will deliver huge increases in connectivity across the whole country, while Project Gigabit provides fibre to at least 85% of the country.
Digital Connectivity: Rural Areas — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
Jerome Patrick Burke Mayhew (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much welcome Tuesday’s announcement on the shared rural network and the news that 98% of my constituency will receive some form of coverage. However, those who visit Great Snoring and many other villages in my constituency will find that they have to go outside to get a signal, if they get one at all. Will the Minister confirm to me that in order to claim this coverage people have to have a signal sufficiently strong to penetrate a normal building, so they can have a conversation inside and not only in the garden?
Digital Connectivity: Rural Areas — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
Matthew Robert Warman (Conservative, Centre-right): The target of the 4G shared rural network is based on outside coverage, but of course the effect of that outside coverage is a huge halo that brings signals indoors: into, as my hon. Friend puts it, normal homes and beyond. I think we will see a really significant improvement in indoor coverage, alongside an improvement on 45,000 km of roads and in 1.2 million businesses and homes across the country.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
Oliver James Dowden (Conservative, Centre-right): I have announced ambitious proposals for broadcasting reform, including the equalisation of regulation of video on demand services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, prominence for public service broadcasters, and the potential change in ownership of Channel 4 in order to secure its long-term success We continue to work closely with all our sectors as we plan for the full reopening on 19 July, and our next wave of pilots is helping us to do so safely and permanently. One of those pilots will, of course, now go down in history after England’s glorious win at Wembley on Tuesday, and I know that the whole House will join me in wishing the team the very best of luck in the quarter finals in Rome on Saturday.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: International Affairs
Oliver James Dowden (Conservative, Centre-right): I share my hon. Friend’s pride in the Union flag, because it unites us as a nation and a people. As he well knows, the Union flag is the national flag of the United Kingdom, and it is so called because it embodies the emblems of three countries united under one sovereign: the kingdoms of England, Wales, Scotland and, of course, Northern Ireland. It is quite extraordinary that the First Minister should describe it as vacuous symbolism by tea towel Tories. It really does show how out of touch he is with the people of Wales, and the Labour party is with the wider United Kingdom.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Technology
Andrew Theakstone Percy (Conservative, Centre-right): At the risk of sounding like a broken record, may I ask the Secretary of State how the shared rural network and other measures are finally going to get us the improvements in mobile phone coverage across north Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire that we so desperately still need?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Social Welfare
David Timothy Simmonds (Conservative, Centre-right): Many of my constituents have benefited hugely from investment by Hillingdon Council in youth facilities. The youth investment fund has the potential to bring these benefits to a much wider group of young people. Will my hon. Friend provide an update on the plans the Department has for the use of this money?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Social Welfare
Matthew Robert Warman (Conservative, Centre-right): The youth investment fund aims to level up access to youth provision over the course of this Parliament, but £30 million has already been committed as capital funding in 2021-22. That will provide investment in new and refurbished safe spaces for young people so that they can access support from youth workers and enjoy beneficial activities, including sport and culture. We know how valuable these facilities are, and details of the bidding process for the next rounds will be announced in due course.
Court Cases: Media Comment — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): In order to avoid prejudice to criminal proceedings, I may issue what is called a media advisory notice in order to inform and ensure responsible media coverage. I have launched a campaign called #thinkbeforeyoupost to promote awareness of the risks of ill-judged social media posts. It is critical that the evidence is tested before a jury—any evidence should be tested before a jury—in a court of law and not in the court of public opinion.
Court Cases: Media Comment — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): Everyone is equal under the law. In general, the media are responsible and are very much aware of reporting restrictions, the limitations on reporting of active proceedings, and what reporting might amount to a contempt of court. As I said, I do issue and have issued media advisory notices where that is not happening and in exceptional cases. The hon. Gentleman’s point about bloggers and others on social media is a live one. It is right that everyone is aware that whether they have training or not, they are responsible under the law for what they post. Interfering in, prejudicing or undermining court proceedings is a serious matter and can be visited with a sentence of up to two years’ imprisonment.
Royal Albert Hall: Charity Tribunal — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Government Operations
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful for that elucidation, Mr Speaker. The Royal Albert Hall and the Charity Commission have been working to try to resolve the matter that the hon. Lady refers to without recourse to litigation, and I am awaiting the outcome of that process. I have instructed my officials to continue to engage with the parties that the hon. Lady refers to, to assist them in working through the complex issues raised by this case. I will say, however, that no decision has been taken on whether to consent to the referral to the Charity Commission. I will approach the matter as a neutral umpire, commensurate with my role as Attorney General and as parens patriae.
Criminal Justice System Recovery: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): I frequently meet criminal justice partners to discuss this important issue. The covid-19 outbreak has been felt keenly by the criminal justice system. Recovery is a priority for this Government. I have been proud of the resilience that criminal justice agencies have shown. There is still more to do, but both the CPS and the Serious Fraud Office have been commended for their efforts at this difficult time. I thank them for continuing to support the delivery of justice.
Criminal Justice System Recovery: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Simon Robert Maurice Baynes (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the police, Wrexham and Denbighshire councils and other authorities in Clwyd South, who have done a great job during the difficult days of the pandemic. How can my right hon. and learned Friend reassure my constituents of efforts to continue to deliver justice in Clwyd South, despite the pandemic?
Criminal Justice System Recovery: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his generous question. I am proud that all criminal justice agencies have worked closely together since the covid-19 outbreak to ensure that essential justice services continue to be delivered. The CPS and the court service in north Wales have worked closely together throughout the pandemic to ensure that courts can be run safely and to maximise the flow of cases, while preserving public health. For example, domestic abuse cases in particular have been prioritised in the magistrates courts, so there are no delays or backlogs for those sensitive cases, where victims deserve our protection and support, but that goes in Clwyd South and it goes everywhere.
Criminal Justice System Recovery: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Caroline Ansell (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his answer. In Sussex, we have a backlog of over 800 Crown court cases—one case is now approaching four years without coming to court—and a rising drop-out rate. The Nightingale court in Chichester is making a real difference, but we still need greater capacity and pace. Can he assure me that every avenue is being pursued to address this backlog, so that we can ensure justice for victims in Eastbourne and in Sussex?
Criminal Justice System Recovery: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, indeed. CPS South East in her region is working with all criminal justice partners to support the recovery activity within Sussex, including to ensure court capacity can be maximised and file quality improved—of course, the better the file quality, the speedier proceedings can follow. The latest levels of cases that I have seen flowing through the courts indicate that in recent weeks at least, outstanding case load in the Crown court has begun to reduce. However, there is still more to be done, and I should say at this point that there is no limit on the number of days that Crown courts can sit for the next fiscal year. That will enable Crown court judges to hold as many hearings as they safely can and as is physically possible, as we continue to recover from the pandemic.
Criminal Justice System Recovery: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady will know that we do not discuss individual cases, putative or otherwise. The reality of the matter is that, as she will recognise, everyone is equal under the law in our system. That has always been the case and remains the case. We have an extremely pressing CPS case load, and a court system that is working very hard to bring justice to all, and that includes victims of serious crime, so I do not recognise the problem she raises. We have a system in this country in which everyone is treated equally, and it is a matter entirely for the independent authorities to investigate each and every case as they see fit, not for Government Ministers.
Criminal Justice System Recovery: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Tyrone Ellis (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Member is right to raise this point. Of course, access to legal aid is very important in the administration of justice, and this Government have maintained funding for that purpose. She is also right to focus on the impact of the pandemic on the system. As I have already indicated, financial matters are being dealt with very generously by the Treasury and the Ministry of Justice. This Government have spent over a quarter of a billion pounds on recovery, as she may know, that has helped to make court buildings safe, including by rolling out new technology for virtual hearings, which of course is less expensive and less time-consuming. There is recruitment of additional staff, and there are Nightingale courts. Whether it be at one end of the criminal justice system or the other, this Government are funding the process so as to ensure speedy, safe and equal justice for all.
Criminal Justice System Recovery: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-07-01
Topic: Law and Crime
Robert James MacGillivray Neill (Conservative, Centre-right): The Attorney General rightly referred to the work of the various justice agencies in this regard. The Director of Public Prosecutions gave powerful evidence to the Justice Committee on 15 June about the pressures that the backlog places on the Crown Prosecution Service. Every case that goes to court has to be worked on by CPS staff, and he is concerned that there is a real risk, in his word, of "fatigue" with case levels running at 50% above pre-covid levels. Can we make sure we have a whole-system approach of sustained investment in the Crown Prosecution Service and the rest of the prosecution service so that staff can cope with the demands of getting back on track and having cases brought forward timeously?