argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Data Breaches (Consumer Protection) — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Edward Vaizey (Conservative, Centre-right): This case has achieved a great deal of publicity, and common sense tells us that people will somehow try to scam off the back of it. My advice to my hon. Friend’s constituents is to put the phone down. If hon. Members have an issue with a constituent who feels that this matter is not being taken seriously, they are welcome to contact me.
Data Breaches (Consumer Protection) — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Edward Vaizey (Conservative, Centre-right): It is very important that all businesses, particularly those handling significant amounts of sensitive customer data, have robust procedures in place to protect those data and to inform customers when there may have been a data breach.
Data Breaches (Consumer Protection) — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Edward Vaizey (Conservative, Centre-right): We have been working for many years on data protection regulation in the European Commission, and it is almost at the point of being completed. It has always been an important principle from the UK’s perspective that we put the consumer and the citizen at the centre of this. These are their data, and it is their right to own them and be sure about how they are used As far as compensation is concerned, as I said earlier, it will be a matter for the Information Commissioner’s office and TalkTalk to decide on any appropriate levels of compensation.
Data Breaches (Consumer Protection) — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Edward Vaizey (Conservative, Centre-right): I think the hon. Gentleman is referring to the Government Digital Service; and the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is responsible for that service, has today made an important speech on its future. It is an extremely successful part of Government, and the hon. Gentleman can rest assured that the Government take the protection of citizens’ data on their own platforms extremely seriously.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: Government new clauses 5, 6 and 8 Amendment 91, page 57, in clause 42, leave out lines 26 and 27 Amendment 92, page 57, leave out lines 30 to 41 Amendment 93, page 58, leave out from beginning of line 1 to end of line 37 on page 60 and insert— "Graduated rates of duty payable on first vehicle licence For the purpose of determining the rate at which vehicle excise duty is to be paid on each of the first three years of vehicle licence for a vehicle to which this Part of this Schedule applies, the annual rate of duty applicable to the vehicle shall be determined in accordance with the following table by reference to the applicable CO2 emissions figure Table Carbon Dioxide emissions Rate (1) Exceeding g/km (2) Not exceeding g/km (3) First full year (£) (4) Second full year (£) (5) Third full year 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 10 10 10 50 75 25 25 25 75 90 100 100 100 90 100 120 120 120 100 110 140 140 140 110 130 160 160 160 130 150 200 200 200 150 170 500 500 500 170 190 800 800 800 190 225 1,200 1,200 1,200 225 255 1,700 1,700 1,700 255 - 2,000 2,000 2,000 Rates of duty payable on any other vehicle licence 1GD For the purpose of determining the rate at which vehicle excise duty is to be paid on any other vehicle licence for a vehicle to which this Part of this Schedule applies, the annual rate of vehicle excise applicable to the vehicle shall be determined in accordance with the following table by reference to the applicable CO2 emissions figure Table Carbon Dioxide emissions Rate (1) Exceeding g/km (2) Not exceeding g/km (3) Standard rate (£) 0 0 20 0 50 40 50 75 60 75 90 80 90 100 100 100 110 120 110 130 140 130 150 160 150 170 180 170 190 200 190 225 220 225 255 240 255 - 260" New clause 3—Tax treatment of private equity fund managers’ pay— ‘(1) The Chancellor of the Exchequer shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, publish and lay before the House of Commons a report setting out proposals for amending the law to ensure that no element of the remuneration paid to an investment fund manager may be treated as a capital gain, and that such remuneration shall be treated for tax purposes wholly as income (2) For the purposes of this section, an "investment fund manager" is a person who performs investment management services directly or indirectly." Government amendments 71 to 88 and 31 to 70.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I would like to open the debate by discussing amendments 31 to 70. As announced in the Public Bill Committee, the Government are introducing amendments to clauses 25 and 26 and schedules 5 and 6 to ensure that the Bill works as intended and that the new rules work correctly with the existing provisions. I remind the House that the original clauses and schedules make changes to the rules for the enterprise investment scheme and venture capital trusts to bring them into line with new state aid rules. This will secure the future of the schemes and ensure they continue to be well targeted towards companies that need investment to develop and grow. The enterprise investment and venture capital schemes have been supporting small companies to access finance for more than 20 years and provide generous tax incentives to encourage private individuals to invest in high-risk small and growing companies that would otherwise struggle to access finance from the market. The original clauses and subsequent amendments ensure the long-term future of these important schemes Alongside the amendments, the Government are also introducing new clause 4, which makes changes to exclude companies from qualifying for the seed enterprise and investment scheme, the enterprise investment scheme and the venture capital trust, if their activities involve making available reserve electricity generating capacity—for example, under the capacity market agreement or the short-term operating reserve contract. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in tax-advantaged investment in energy companies benefiting from other guaranteed income streams. These activities are also generally asset-backed. The new clause will ensure that the Government remain consistent in their approach by keeping the venture capital schemes targeted at high-risk companies. We will also introduce secondary legislation to exclude subsidised renewable energy generation by community energy organisations.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister will be aware that the very late tabling of new clause 4 might have disconcerted and inconvenienced companies. Among those it has unsettled is one in my constituency which was on the point of closing a funding arrangement that would have given it access to capital of about £25 million to £40 million. Given that the concern the new clause appears to address is focused on state aid or subsidy, particularly capacity market agreements, will he confirm that it is not intended to apply to businesses that do not use capacity market agreements, such as the one I have described?
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I am extremely grateful to the Minister for those assurances. Am I right in thinking that there will be scope within regulation to allow the kind of carve-out that might be necessary if his investigations uphold, as it were, the position that I am taking?
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Domestic Commerce
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I can assure the hon. Gentleman that the Government are talking to the devolved Administrations about exactly how we are going to do that. We are conscious that these are devolved matters, and we are actively engaged with the devolved Administrations I hope that the new clauses and amendments to which I referred earlier in the context of the enterprise investment scheme, venture capital trusts, corporation tax instalment payments and restitution interest payments will be able to stand part of the Bill and have the support of the whole House.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Mark Christopher Field (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the hon. Gentleman recognise that the concept of carried interest is integral to the way that private equity and venture capital industries operate? The Government have been pretty robust at trying to draw the distinction to which he refers, between capital and income, and any abusive schemes will be closed down. Carried interest is not a con. It is the very nature of the way in which venture capital funds operate in investing the funds they have for future projects.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. I fully appreciate that it is the hon. Lady’s first time at the Dispatch Box, but—I am not reprimanding her, but merely giving a little hint for future reference—turning her back on the Chair is not acceptable. Even though she wants the hon. Member for East Antrim (Sammy Wilson), who is sitting behind her, to hear what she is saying, she still must face the Chair at all times. [Interruption.] No, she need not apologise, because it is her first time at the Dispatch Box, but she will always get it right in future.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. I know that the Minister is concluding, but the points he is making are very important and the Chamber is not a place where people come for a little chat. It is much too noisy. People are not behaving badly in a noisy way; there are just too many people talking just above a whisper. If hon. Members are going to whisper, they should please learn to whisper, because we need to hear the Minister. He is making some important points.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Civil Rights
William Nigel Paul Cash (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not going to say that I did, but I put through an Act of Parliament, the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014, both to protect women and to promote their interests, with massive support from all parts of the House, so I want no suggestion that I am backward in coming forward on these issues New clause 7 contains weasel words. It does not solve anything. It is not in the interests of the United Kingdom not to deal with the problem properly.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Anne Margaret Main (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree, and I am pleased that there are hon. Gentlemen who are not too cowed to take part in this debate. I am old enough to have read Ms Greer’s "The Female Eunuch" in the ’70s, when this was a hot topic. It was about how women can face up to the fact that this is just part of being a woman, not something shameful to be hidden away. Therefore, we need to have a discussion, without bluster or embarrassment, about why we cannot take back control and have fairness in our society in this country.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Bernard Christison Jenkin (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an interesting point and raises the spectre of a case to bring before the courts—perhaps even the European Court of Justice—on the basis of discrimination. Perhaps that would be one way of resolving this particular problem I am shamelessly using this example as an opportunity to make a far broader and more important constitutional point.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
Bernard Christison Jenkin (Conservative, Centre-right): I point out to the hon. Lady that my name is on new clause 7. I support it, but I will wait to hear what the Minister has to say before deciding whether to vote against my own Administration. I am sure she will understand that. There have not been many rebellions among the SNP yet. The point about being a political party in this House is that we are all individuals and we are all allowed to do what we choose. In fact, that is our responsibility.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Bernard Christison Jenkin (Conservative, Centre-right): I certainly acknowledge that what has happened in other member states has influenced what has happened in this country, but the hon. Lady enjoys no rights in this country that we could not have afforded ourselves through our own political processes. The question of the possibility of leaving the European Union is about taking back control over those policies, not deciding them in a different way from that which she would like. Long may we continue to agree on the importance of equal rights for women in as many areas as possible—in fact, in every area that we can possibly legislate on.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Pauline Elizabeth Latham (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my hon. Friend agree that this tax is very unfair because it is not about the equality of sexes? The tax is not equal because men do not need any of these products. If we had thought at the very beginning that this would impact on women only, I am sure people would have thought much harder about putting tax on sanitary products, which every woman, mainly, needs for a long period in their life. It is not fair.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Steven John Baker (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course that tax was similarly egregious to women. I am happy to say that I was born in 1971, so I hope the hon. Lady will forgive me for not taking responsibility for decisions made at that time.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (Conservative, Centre-right): On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. In the other place not two minutes ago, their Lordships voted for a Labour amendment to in effect kill off—[Interruption.] Not for 100 years has the House of Lords defied this elected House. This is a serious matter, and I ask you or Mr Speaker to make a statement to protect the rights of the elected representatives—not just for us, but for the people of this country.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Steven John Baker (Conservative, Centre-right): In ascending order of difficulty, there are another four things the Government could do. The first is to do what new clause 7 would impose on them, which is to negotiate within the existing EU framework to deliver a zero-rating on tampons and sanitary products. The second would be to renegotiate the power to set such taxes. I commend that to the Minister, and I hope he will comment on the Government’s willingness to repatriate all tax powers, particularly VAT, back to this country. The third is to legislate, notwithstanding the European Communities Act. It seems to me that that would be a bold move, but I would certainly support it to end the problem swiftly, and I hope that Members on both sides of the House would support that. The final thing that could be done would be for us to leave the European Union and, as my hon. Friend the Member for St Albans (Mrs Main) said, decide for ourselves in this House matters of taxation that apply to all our constituents This evening, I want to listen extremely carefully to what my hon. Friend the Minister says. It is quite clear that we can no longer go on saying that this issue of the taxation of tampons and sanitary products is too difficult to push through all the member states and the European Commission. Clearly, action must be taken that is robust and dynamic. I must say to those who criticise us for being Eurosceptics that we know we are taking a risk. Unlikely as it seems, the Commission and the member states may well rise to the occasion and solve the problem. Well, good on them if they do. I should be very glad indeed to see no tax on these products right across the European Union.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Steven John Baker (Conservative, Centre-right): I remind the hon. Lady that I have added my name to the new clause. My point is that this situation cannot continue any longer, and I hope the Minister will say that the Government accept the principle that tampons and sanitary products should be zero-rated. I hope they will explain why they are not able to bring such a measure before the House, and that the Minister will commit robustly to advancing this cause in the interests of women in the UK and across Europe this year and in future. We should get the whole thing cleared up as soon as possible.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Housing
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The regime as it stands will affect more properties than it did under any of the Labour years. The reality is that if we do not take action, inheritance tax will hit more and more estates. It will be a tax that will be much more widespread than was previously the case. If that is the position the Labour party holds, that is the position, but I think we should be aware of what it is.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): I put my name to this amendment because I have long thought that this is a bizarre and discriminatory tax on sanitary products and it needs sorting out. Perhaps in the 1970s, when I am sure the Minister like myself was at school, the luxury goods description still made sense as many women were not using a product which has now transformed our ability to be freed up from the monthly restrictions of periods. Many girls at school with me were off games every month because they did not have access to what is now considered a completely normal part of our sanitary products and frees young women to be sportswomen. I ask the Minister to be brave, to think about this and to stand up for all young women.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not want to conceal from the House the fact that we do not have flexibility in these circumstances. Nor do I want to conceal the challenge that we would face in reaching agreement on this. Other member states take a different approach. As the hon. Member for Walthamstow has pointed out, it was striking that the vote in the French Assembly just a couple of weeks ago on an attempt to move the rate down from 20% to 5.5% was defeated. I do not wish to pretend that this would be a mere formality; other member states do take a different approach to this issue.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the shadow Chancellor for his point of order. Those on the Treasury Bench will have heard what he has said. It is open to a Minister to do that tomorrow. Given that a Treasury Minister is present on the Treasury Bench, he is welcome to rise to his feet if he wishes.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): So be it; the House will understand. It is not a matter for the Chair; I am simply playing fair. It is a matter for the Government, and the Minister could speak now if he wished, but he is not under any obligation to do so. The point of order has been heard. The hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) will be in his place tomorrow—and so will the Chancellor be—and we will await the development of events.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Perhaps I can just say to the hon. Lady and the House that, while I hear what she has to say, the late Lord Whitelaw was the author of a vintage phrase in British politics. As he put it, "I tend to prefer to cross bridges only when I come to them." It seemed to be a very sagacious utterance by Lord Whitelaw. All I will say to the House now—as much for the benefit of those outside this place as of Members—is this. Two sentences: first, the parent Act specifies that the Government cannot make the regulations unless a draft has been approved by both Houses. I think we can all agree upon that. Secondly, it is up to the Government to decide how to proceed. We will leave it there for now Third Reading
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West (Rob Marris) is droning on about all sorts of stuff. My understanding is that Third Readings are supposed to be about what is in the Bill, not just a general drone about the economy. Will you rule on that, Mr Speaker? [Interruption.]
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. I was listening closely, and allowing the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West (Rob Marris) some latitude, but the thrust of the point of order is correct. I should emphasise that this is not a portmanteau debate for the airing of a miscellany of grievances. This is a relatively narrow Third Reading about what is in the Bill, upon which I know the hon. Gentleman will now dilate for the remaining two and a half minutes.
Finance Bill — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Thank you, Mr Mullin. There are 12 seconds remaining, but no hon. Member is getting to his or her feet. Time is running out, the moment is arriving—and I do believe that we are going to have the vote.
Nuisance Calls — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Other
David Nuttall (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is making a compelling speech on this subject. Does she agree that it would be very helpful if every time someone made such a call as this, they were required to say exactly how they had come by that information and on what basis they were relying on the consent of the person whom they were ringing?
Nuisance Calls — House of Commons, 2015-10-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Edward Vaizey (Conservative, Centre-right): That is exactly the point. For many elderly and vulnerable people, their phone is their lifeline. Not only are they at home and plagued by nuisance calls but, in many cases, they want to answer the phone as they do not know whether or not the call is important. They also obviously want to be able to use their phone as freely as possible to contact loved ones and additional support services That is why about two years ago I started to co-ordinate the action that was being taken in respect of nuisance calls, calling together the two regulators, the Information Commissioner and Ofcom, as well as numerous stakeholders, including the telephone companies and the internet service providers, and many charities and campaigning groups. Again, I echo what the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran said in her excellent speech: we must strike a balance, and we should remember that underneath the plague of nuisance calls lies the legitimate activity of decent businesses, as she called them, wanting to make perfectly appropriate marketing calls and in many cases having the proper consent to do that.