argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Questions: What assistance will the Department give to local authorities to keep their regional museums open following the recent Museums Association report, which stated that one in five regional museums has closed in part or in full and that one in 10 expect to introduce entrance charges to cover reductions in local authority funding?; What progress has been made in securing at least 5% of the Premier League TV deal for grassroots football? Children’s football is virtually unplayable at this time of year, yet the Premier League continues to throw money around as though it is going out of fashion.; The long-serving Minister responsible for arts and broadband will share my disappointment that despite his welcome promise to ensure that no home in the country has broadband speeds of less than 2 megabits per second, there are apparently parts of my constituency in Gloucester that have still not reached that speed. I have raised one particular area and problem with BT since 2013. First BT promised to upgrade the cabinet, then it failed to do so, and now it says that it is commercially unviable. Will the Minister meet me and celebrate his long tenure by resolving this problem?; Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating the many towns across the UK that will be laying on cultural experiences in the coming year? In Horsham, that varies from a brand new cultural festival we are putting on in the summer to pancake racing next month. The Secretary of State would be very welcome to join me at either.; I, too, wish my hon. Friend well in her imminent personal sporting challenge. As she knows, Faversham and Mid Kent is rich in fascinating tourist destinations, such as Leeds castle and the historic market town of Faversham itself, so I welcomed the recently announced £40 million Visit England fund. Will organisations such as Visit Kent have a chance to bid for a share of this fund?; Destination Staffordshire recently submitted its bid for funding from the European regional development fund. In the interests of brevity, will my right hon. Friend encourage Ministers in the Department for Communities and Local Government to look favourably on the bid—yes or no?
Tracey Elizabeth Anne Crouch (Conservative, Centre-right): That is a matter for the home nation football associations, so the Scottish FA should negotiate with UEFA, under its central sales strategy, which broadcasts qualifying or friendly matches. We have a listed events regime whereby we can see home nations compete in the European championship and, of course, world cup final tournaments, but home nations need to qualify to be able to do so.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Questions: What assistance will the Department give to local authorities to keep their regional museums open following the recent Museums Association report, which stated that one in five regional museums has closed in part or in full and that one in 10 expect to introduce entrance charges to cover reductions in local authority funding?; What progress has been made in securing at least 5% of the Premier League TV deal for grassroots football? Children’s football is virtually unplayable at this time of year, yet the Premier League continues to throw money around as though it is going out of fashion.; The long-serving Minister responsible for arts and broadband will share my disappointment that despite his welcome promise to ensure that no home in the country has broadband speeds of less than 2 megabits per second, there are apparently parts of my constituency in Gloucester that have still not reached that speed. I have raised one particular area and problem with BT since 2013. First BT promised to upgrade the cabinet, then it failed to do so, and now it says that it is commercially unviable. Will the Minister meet me and celebrate his long tenure by resolving this problem?; Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating the many towns across the UK that will be laying on cultural experiences in the coming year? In Horsham, that varies from a brand new cultural festival we are putting on in the summer to pancake racing next month. The Secretary of State would be very welcome to join me at either.; I, too, wish my hon. Friend well in her imminent personal sporting challenge. As she knows, Faversham and Mid Kent is rich in fascinating tourist destinations, such as Leeds castle and the historic market town of Faversham itself, so I welcomed the recently announced £40 million Visit England fund. Will organisations such as Visit Kent have a chance to bid for a share of this fund?; Destination Staffordshire recently submitted its bid for funding from the European regional development fund. In the interests of brevity, will my right hon. Friend encourage Ministers in the Department for Communities and Local Government to look favourably on the bid—yes or no?
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Member for Hyndburn (Graham Jones) has a nerve trying to claim to be the champion of betting shop workers. If his policies were adopted there would be far fewer of them, because many betting shops would close. Does the Minister agree that if we want to see more staff employed in betting shops—I certainly do—they need to have a viable financial future, particularly in relation to negotiations on machines and the levy?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Questions: What assistance will the Department give to local authorities to keep their regional museums open following the recent Museums Association report, which stated that one in five regional museums has closed in part or in full and that one in 10 expect to introduce entrance charges to cover reductions in local authority funding?; What progress has been made in securing at least 5% of the Premier League TV deal for grassroots football? Children’s football is virtually unplayable at this time of year, yet the Premier League continues to throw money around as though it is going out of fashion.; The long-serving Minister responsible for arts and broadband will share my disappointment that despite his welcome promise to ensure that no home in the country has broadband speeds of less than 2 megabits per second, there are apparently parts of my constituency in Gloucester that have still not reached that speed. I have raised one particular area and problem with BT since 2013. First BT promised to upgrade the cabinet, then it failed to do so, and now it says that it is commercially unviable. Will the Minister meet me and celebrate his long tenure by resolving this problem?; Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating the many towns across the UK that will be laying on cultural experiences in the coming year? In Horsham, that varies from a brand new cultural festival we are putting on in the summer to pancake racing next month. The Secretary of State would be very welcome to join me at either.; I, too, wish my hon. Friend well in her imminent personal sporting challenge. As she knows, Faversham and Mid Kent is rich in fascinating tourist destinations, such as Leeds castle and the historic market town of Faversham itself, so I welcomed the recently announced £40 million Visit England fund. Will organisations such as Visit Kent have a chance to bid for a share of this fund?; Destination Staffordshire recently submitted its bid for funding from the European regional development fund. In the interests of brevity, will my right hon. Friend encourage Ministers in the Department for Communities and Local Government to look favourably on the bid—yes or no?
Tracey Elizabeth Anne Crouch (Conservative, Centre-right): There are some very strict rules and statutory requirements, particularly on the number of staff in betting shops. They are subject to health and safety regulations, and voluntary minimum standards are required across the industry. I expect all operators to adhere to those standards in order to protect their staff on the high street.
Restoration and Renewal — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: What steps the Commission plans to take to ensure public and parliamentary scrutiny of the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster after a decision on the options for that project has been made.; What steps the Commission plans to take to ensure public and parliamentary scrutiny of the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster after a decision on the options for that project has been made.
James Jacob Gilchrist Berry (Conservative, Centre-right): As well as having an opportunity to debate the R and R programme, it is hugely important that Members have an opportunity to promote businesses in their constituencies that can take part in the works. For example, Crown Paints, based in Darwen, would be a fantastic company to provide paint and to advise at this early stage to ensure that costs are reduced.
Restoration and Renewal — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Public Lands
Questions: What steps the Commission plans to take to ensure public and parliamentary scrutiny of the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster after a decision on the options for that project has been made.; What steps the Commission plans to take to ensure public and parliamentary scrutiny of the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster after a decision on the options for that project has been made.
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): Could the House of Commons Commission and the Joint Committee consider the idea of an historic trust into which the estate could be placed in order to separate the politics of renewal from the restoration of a national asset?
EVEL — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): We have fulfilled our manifesto commitment in introducing English votes for English laws, which I believe will strengthen the Union. We have undertaken two Legislative Grand Committees, and several statutory instruments have passed without Division. The House knows about the tablet issue affecting two hon. Members in the live Division on Tuesday. It was recognised immediately, and their votes were recorded, included by the Tellers and listed in Hansard. The Government will undertake a review of the English votes for English laws procedure later this year, and the Procedure Committee has already announced its technical review.
EVEL — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): Mr Speaker certified the statutory instrument as relating to England only, and the principle of English votes for English laws was displayed. It needs the consent of the majority both of MPs representing the nation in question and, indeed, of the House.
Voting System — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Other
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have said, there is a long-standing convention and a lot of Members value the fact not only that we link votes to debates, but that the convention of walking through the Lobbies gives them the opportunity to speak to other people. It is a matter for further debate and I am sure the hon. Gentleman will speak to the Procedure Committee in due course.
Voting System — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I have always thought of my hon. Friend as a very traditional man. The other place has been using that technology for some time. It is a useful thing to do and I look forward to the electronic recording of votes being introduced into this place in due course.
Voting System — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Other
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I urge my hon. Friend to stick to her guns on this issue. I am sure that far more people visit this Parliament than the Scottish Parliament, and I suspect that most people visit this Parliament to see what we do and to respect our traditions, rather than necessarily to listen to what hon. Members have to say. We should guard our traditions with great care.
Voting System — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Other
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I visited the Scottish Parliament as a tourist and found it to be a very interesting building. I did not see a debate while I was there. I agree with my hon. Friend. I value the tradition, as do many other Members.
Voting System — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Other
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I speak as somebody who has taken a private Member’s Bill through the House, which is a unique way to bring in legislation not introduced by the Government. The hon. Lady will know that the Procedure Committee is looking into this matter. Frankly, it is important that legislation is properly scrutinised. The Procedure Committee will come up with recommendations on which the House can further deliberate.
Voting System — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not aware of a move to introduce swipe cards, as the hon. Lady suggests, but we believe that introducing tablet recording for Divisions will help to facilitate the provision of the kind of information for constituents to which she refers.
Litvinenko Inquiry — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): I, too, was struck by the reported final words of Mr Litvinenko to his son, Anatoly. What an assured and articulate man he has grown into, as we saw on the TV recently. To repay the confidence of Mr Litvinenko in this country, may I ask the Home Secretary to go further? In particular, will she respond in detail to Mrs Litvinenko’s request regarding the additional names she has prepared with Ben Emmerson, and whether those individuals should be banned and sanctions taken against them?
Litvinenko Inquiry — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I echo my hon. Friend’s comments about Anatoly Litvinenko. His demeanour in the interview on television last night showed a fine young man who has grown up in this country against a background of very difficult circumstances, given what happened to his father. As I indicated earlier to the shadow Home Secretary, I would be happy to meet Marina and Anatoly Litvinenko. Obviously, that would provide an opportunity to discuss the matters my hon. Friend raises.
Litvinenko Inquiry — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I apologise, Mr Deputy Speaker, because I will repeat what I have said to a number of Members who raised the issue of the Magnitsky Act. The Act excludes or stops certain individuals from coming into a country, in this case the United States. We already have powers that are at least as robust, if not more so, than the powers in the Magnitsky Act. It is on that basis that I think we have the powers we need to exclude people. I repeat the point I made earlier: if people think that introducing the Magnitsky Act will mean that those who perpetrated this heinous crime will be brought to justice, they are very wrong.
Litvinenko Inquiry — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for giving me the opportunity to do just that. The work of the Atomic Weapons Establishment played an important part. The scientists who helped to investigate and get to the truth of the matter did a very important job.
Infected Blood — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Margaret Ann Throup (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for her statement and for the measures she has outlined today, as well as for her continuing commitment to seek justice for the victims of contaminated blood, including some in my constituency. When it comes to looking at drugs for the future, will the Minister commit to continuing investment in molecular diagnostics as the way forward for victims in the future?
Infected Blood — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the statement, I welcome the consultation, and I certainly welcome, on behalf of my constituents, the extra money that seems to be available The Minister has said that she wants the widest-ranging consultation. Every Member will have received letters from their constituents about this issue, and those letters have been have passed on to the Department. My constituent Matthew Harris, for instance, has been campaigning actively for a very long time. Will the Department be able to contact those constituents, and ensure that those who are directly affected, and with whom the Minister has already been in contact, can take part in the consultation?
Infected Blood — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Jane Ellison (Conservative, Centre-right): I assure my hon. Friend that we will make every effort to reach people. My officials have already put in place extensive plans to publicise the consultation—they have met the heads of the charities and those running the current schemes, and will be writing to those who are registered with those schemes—and we will make it as easy as possible for people to get involved. One of our reasons for organising a 12-week consultation is that we recognise that some people may not be online, and we want to make sure that everyone has a chance to comment I will reflect on what my hon. Friend has said about direct contact. That may already be being pursued through some of our plans, but, as I have said, we have extensive plans to publicise the consultation, and it goes live today. Of course I shall welcome Members’ contributions on behalf of their constituents.
Childhood Obesity Strategy — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Sarah James (Wollaston) (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for that, which brings me on to reformulation. It should also form a core part of the strategy. Our view was that we should have a centrally led programme of reformulation across foods and drinks, and that what manufacturers want is a level playing field. The trouble with reformulation is that it takes time; there has been an effective programme on salt, but that has happened very gradually, over a 10-year period. There is no reason why these things should be mutually exclusive; I come back to that point about marginal gains and say let us do all of the above. I know that the Minister is looking closely at reformulation and understands how powerful it will be. The evidence we heard was that it could take 6% of the sugar out of children’s diets. Reformulation, alongside other programmes, will play a part, but it will not work on its own and, unfortunately, it will take longer We also need to examine the pervasive effect of marketing and promotion. Do I want to have a kilogram of chocolate for almost nothing when I buy my newspaper? Of course I do, but please do not offer it to me. Please do not make me walk past the chicanes of sugar at the checkout or when I am queuing to pay for petrol. We know that 37% of all the confectionary we buy is bought on impulse. It does not matter how much we are intending not to buy it, if it is presented to us on impulse, we buy it, as impulse is an extraordinarily powerful driver. I therefore hope that any strategy will tackle that part of consumption, along with portion sizing. The supersizing of our society is in part down to the supersizing of portions and offers. All of this needs to be included in our approach, as does dealing with advertising. This advertising is pervasive and it is hitting our children everywhere they go, on television, online and through the influence of "advergames". We know that this is very powerful in driving choices for children, so I hope the Minister will look carefully at that. She will have seen our recommendation of a watershed of 9 pm Time is running short, so I shall close my remarks, as I know other Members will want to cover many other aspects, such as exercise, the effect of what local authorities do, how much more powerful they could be in their roles if we gave them greater planning powers, and so on. Early intervention, research, education, teaspoon labelling—please do it all. We need a bold, brave and effective strategy, and we need to learn from British cycling and the law of marginal gains.
Childhood Obesity Strategy — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady mentioned that children are consuming junk food from outlets near schools. Does she believe that councils should have powers, as part of planning guidance, to take action on junk food outlets being so close to schools?
Childhood Obesity Strategy — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
William James Quince (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend and I would be delighted to take another look at that piece of research My hon. Friend has made a case for the sugar tax to protect the poorest, and I think that that was the point that she was just making. As I have mentioned, and this is a good point, the poorest children are the most likely to be obese. However, the statistics show that, in low-income households in Britain, soft drink purchases dropped by 14% between 2007 and 2013. Perhaps a 20% sugar tax on soft drinks is not very much to celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and some of those who are pushing the idea of a sugar tax, but for those on the lowest incomes—who we know, proportionally, buy these products—about 12p a can or 37p per 2 litre bottle is a massive amount of money.
Childhood Obesity Strategy — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Margaret Ann Throup (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that the point is that we are talking about a tax on sugary drinks and there are alternatives, such as drinks with artificial sweeteners. We are not making it so that these people do not have a choice. There are two different sides of the argument.
Holocaust Memorial Day — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Civil Rights
Robert Alexander Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): I rise to pay great tribute to Karen Pollock. As someone who established the Srebrenica safe area in March-April 1993, I am deeply appreciative of the fact that she said that the Holocaust Memorial Fund also refers to the 8,373 Bosnian Muslims who were killed in a holocaust much closer to our time. I appreciate very much that the Holocaust Memorial Fund cares about those people just as much as it does about the victims of the foul Nazis.
Holocaust Memorial Day — House of Commons, 2016-01-21
Topic: Civil Rights
Eric Pickles (Conservative, Centre-right): I am certainly aware of a particular property—I might want to say something about it outside the Chamber—that was stolen from a Jewish family. It actually went through the hands of Adolf Hitler, who gave it to his favourite photographer, who kept it. After the war, the Bavarian authorities, because they could not find the original Jewish owners, decided to give it back to the Nazi who stole it, which was an extraordinary thing to do. There are a number of files still closed in this country with regard to people to whom we gave an amnesty. My ambition and hope, which I know is shared by the Prime Minister, is that we will at last open those files and answer some of my hon. Friend’s questions. It is important that we press hard. In this country we have a pretty good system with regard to disputes that is worthy of export, but until that property is returned to the people it was stolen from and acknowledged as theirs, the rule of Hitler continues.