argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2021-11-09
Topic: Transportation
Diana Ruth Johnson (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, you will be aware of the importance across the country, not least in the north of England, of the long-awaited integrated rail plan. In Hull, we await news on the Government’s levelling-up promises on rail electrification and the eastern leg of HS2, but recent reports suggest that the plan may be published this week, on 11 November. In Transport questions on 4 November, the Minister of State, Department for Transport, the hon. Member for Pendle (Andrew Stephenson), said: "I am delighted to say that the integrated rail plan is not just coming soon—it is now coming very soon."—[Official Report, 4 November 2021; Vol. 702, c. 1035.] This evening, the House goes into recess until next Monday. Mr Speaker has repeatedly reminded Ministers of the need to make important policy announcements to this House first. I therefore ask whether Mr Speaker has received notice of any intention by Ministers to make a statement in the House regarding the integrated rail plan and whether Mr Speaker has sought any assurances that such an important statement will not be published while the House is not sitting.
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2021-11-09
Topic: Government Operations
Christopher John Bryant (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, you may not be aware, but as I understand it, the Government told the lobby this morning—but obviously not the House, as yet—that they intend, further to yesterday’s debate and last week’s proceedings, to table a motion, rescinding the decision to set up the special committee and approving the third report of the Select Committee on Standards on the conduct of Mr Owen Paterson, for debate some time next week. Have you had any notice that that is the Government’s intention, or of what day they intend to do that? Obviously we will not have a business statement this week. Is there any suggestion as to whether there will be a business of the House motion to enable that to happen, or how they are intending to do it If I may, I make a brief announcement from the Standards Committee, which might be helpful to the House. As part of our review of the code of conduct and its operation, we have decided today to commission a senior judicial figure to advise us on possible changes to the process. We have already taken advice today from Sir Stephen Irwin, who is chair of the Independent Expert Panel. We believe that our present practices guarantee a fair hearing, but we will always consider suggestions for improvements. I hope that is helpful for the House.
Giving Every Baby the Best Start in Life — House of Commons, 2021-11-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Catherine McKinnell (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting time to debate this incredibly important subject. I also commend my colleagues, the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Sarah Olney) and the right hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Dame Andrea Leadsom), for setting out so eloquently and passionately the case for focusing on this issue. I had hoped that, as co-sponsors of the debate and co-conspirators on this issue, we would not just repeat one another’s arguments, and I believe that, without co-ordinating in any way, we will not. We agree on the problem—we agree on the challenge and the importance of this issue—but today I want to focus on the enormous challenge presented by poverty in overcoming many of these issues We know from international evidence that so many important life outcomes, from health to wealth and wellbeing, have their origins in early childhood, but the reality is that not all childhoods are equal. If we truly want to give every child the best start in life, we must tackle poverty and economic disadvantage. There is substantial evidence demonstrating the damaging, stigmatising and often lifelong impact of experiencing poverty in childhood. It affects cognitive skills, social and emotional development, physical health, mental health, educational outcomes, employment prospects, the likelihood of being in poverty as an adult, and life expectancy Recent reports have highlighted starkly that the impact of poverty begins in very early childhood, or even pre-birth. For example, last month, MBRRACE-UK— Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK—reported that "babies born to women living in the most deprived areas are twice as likely to be stillborn, and at a 73% excess risk of neonatal death compared to babies born to women living in the least deprived areas" Likewise, national child mortality database research published in May found a clear link between deprivation and child death. It concluded that around 700 fewer child deaths per year—a fifth of all child deaths—might be avoided if children living in the most deprived areas had the same mortality risk as those living in the least deprived. Poverty is literally killing children.
Giving Every Baby the Best Start in Life — House of Commons, 2021-11-09
Topic: Social Welfare
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): I have listened carefully to what the hon. Gentleman says about ringfencing and I do not disagree, but that is why Sure Start funding was directed through local authorities and ringfenced at a local level for local authorities to draw up their local strategies. He talks about levelling up, but this process did not start in 2019. We have seen the devastation of Sure Start centres, certainly in County Durham, as a result of cuts to that funding by his Government—although I know that he perhaps was not in the House then.
School-based Counselling Services — House of Commons, 2021-11-09
Topic: Education
Nicholas Hugh Brown (Labour, Centre-left): I was really proud of the parliamentary Labour party this afternoon. I thought the speeches from Labour Members were very clear in their purpose and full of compassion for people who have every right to look to us to help them on this important topic. I would say the same of Members from all the Opposition parties. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Tulip Siddiq) for her Front-Bench contribution, which I thought was excellent I thank the Minister for catching the tone and spirit of the debate. Clearly, we will want to pursue the conversation, and I welcome his willingness to engage, perhaps after he has had his meeting with his hon. Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Miriam Cates), which I frankly do not envy him. I thought that Conservative colleagues’ contributions were absolutely excellent—[Interruption.] All right; on the whole. I particularly thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Jo Gideon), and I say to her that, yes, her constituents have our congratulations and praise for the award that they have won in starting off down a track that the Opposition so strongly support There is a lot of common ground and a lot of common purpose, and even the Minister was not so far away from where we want to get to. This is the start of a journey, rather than the end Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That this House has considered the provision of school-based counselling services.
Ocado Zoom — House of Commons, 2021-11-09
Topic: Labor
Rupa Asha Huq (Labour, Centre-left): I rise to present a petition, on behalf of not just the constituent signatories but the 80 or so delivery drivers at the Ocado Zoom plant in Acton who, having worked throughout the pandemic, kept the company going and kept the capital going by delivering key food supplies, now find that they are being turfed out and frozen out for not accepting very punishing new terms and conditions. They are being replaced by third-party workers against the promises that they would be taken in-house. The petition notes that profits and business have deteriorated since all this started, as the company is putting profit over people. I have to say, the CEO has been donating lots of money to the Conservative party. I hope those things are not related The petition states: The petition of residents of the constituency of Ealing Central and Acton Declares that Ocado has not followed through on its promise to cease the use of third-party employment and transfer the workforce from 4 October 2021; further that the majority of deliveries are currently carried out by the third-party agency "Job and Talent"; further that Ocado Zoom offers no flexibility despite promises to provide fully-flexible contracts; notes that Ocado Zoom’s business has deteriorated because of the failure to implement the transfer of workers; and notes that Ocado Zoom continues to engage in exploitative practices and anti-trade union behaviour as they continue to prioritise profit over the working conditions of its staff The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to consider the concerns of the petitioners and take immediate action to ensure that Ocado engage with delivery drivers’ chosen trade union, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), in order to resolve the current dispute; further that the Government should press Ocado Zoom to avoid further job losses of key workers And the petitioners remain, etc [P002697]
Civil Service Jobs outside London — House of Commons, 2021-11-25
Topic: Government Operations
Rachael Helen Maskell (Labour, Centre-left): York has been promised many jobs, including the House of Lords—remember that one?—a northern government hub, a conference centre, and now 600—or is it 200?—new Cabinet Office jobs, but nothing has materialised; it seems like chaos. Will the Minister meet me to talk about the potential of York Central and how this incredible opportunity could best be used to strategically serve the purposes and functions of government as well as my city of York?
Civil Service Jobs outside London — House of Commons, 2021-11-25
Topic: Environment
Barry John Sheerman (Labour, Centre-left): It is on Thursday mornings, Mr Speaker, that those of us who are regulars miss David Amess—those Thursday mornings when he was so lively and showed that he was a true parliamentarian When the Minister talks about putting jobs in places around the country, will he lead, with all of us in our constituencies, a campaign for sustainable development in every town, city and community in this country?
“Track and Trace”: Transparency International Report — House of Commons, 2021-11-25
Topic: Government Operations
Questions: If he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of Transparency International’s report, “Track and Trace”, published April 2021.
Fleur Anderson (Labour, Centre-left): Transparency International’s report identified 73 covid contracts that raised red flags for corruption. Last week, after 18 months of deflection and secrecy, the list of the companies awarded contracts through the VIP lane was finally revealed. We can see now why it was kept secret It is curious that, of the recommendations from politicians to that list, only the recommendations of Conservatives—no other political party—were successful. Of the 47 companies awarded contracts worth £4.7 billion, 18—more than a third—were referred by Tory MPs, Ministers or peers. Can the Minister confirm that anti-fraud and conflict of interest checks really did take place for all the contracts in the VIP lane? If there were another emergency tomorrow, would the system still be jobs for mates, or is a new and better one ready?
Business Bids for Contracts — House of Commons, 2021-11-25
Topic: Energy
Michael Lee Amesbury (Labour, Centre-left): The rows and rows of wind turbines off our shores have, historically, largely been imported from abroad. What are the Government and the Minister doing to ensure that onshore and offshore renewable technology is British made using British steel?
Covid-19: Emergency Procurement Powers — House of Commons, 2021-11-25
Topic: Government Operations
Helen Elizabeth Hayes (Labour, Centre-left): The use of emergency procurement powers during the covid-19 pandemic has been a murky mess. The process has delivered multiple contracts to Tory party friends and donors, and hundreds of millions of pounds of public money has been spent on equipment that could not be used. The use of such powers might have been justified at the start of the pandemic, but 20 months on there is really no excuse for the continued use of accelerated procurement powers. It is now eight months since the consultation on the Green Paper closed and the Government still have not published a response. When will they end the use of emergency measures, and when will they clean up public procurement?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-11-25
Topic: Technology
Angela Rayner (Labour, Centre-left): I welcome the Minister’s comments regarding cyber-security and the measures that will be taken, because it is blight on many of our constituents across the United Kingdom Last week, the Government admitted that minutes of a conference call on 9 April 2020 between the former Member for North Shropshire and a Health Minister could not be located. Has this Minister been informed whether or not those minutes have now been located, and can he say when all the relevant documents will be given to the House?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-11-25
Topic: Government Operations
Angela Rayner (Labour, Centre-left): I am not sure that I got an answer to the question that I posed to the Minister. As I recall—forgive me if I am wrong—the Prime Minister even said at Prime Minister’s questions that he was "very happy to publish" the documents, and Ministers today have talked about the importance of transparency. What is there to hide? Will Ministers publish all the correspondence, the WhatsApps and the messages so that there is transparency regarding the covid contracts? Will the Minister also accept all the outstanding freedom of information requests about the documents? As we have heard, £3.5 billion in contracts was awarded without tender to companies with links to the Conservative party. By contrast, not one successful bid came from any politician or adviser of any other party. Spending £1 million a week on storage for dud PPE—can the Minister explain that?
English Channel Small Boats Incident — House of Commons, 2021-11-25
Topic: Law and Crime
Diana Ruth Johnson (Labour, Centre-left): This is the most awful tragedy, and I want to add my condolences to all who have been affected by it. However, it is surely right to point out that the Home Office has failed to get a grip on this issue for far too long. In a week when the Home Affairs Committee has recommended that the Windrush compensation scheme should be removed from the Home Office because of issues of competency, is it not time that this matter was also removed from the Home Office and given to the Cabinet Office, and is it not time for a cross-Government response?
Health and Social Care — House of Commons, 2021-12-03
Topic: Social Welfare
Alison McGovern (Labour, Centre-left): When my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester West (Liz Kendall) and I spoke to social care professionals from the Wirral last night, they made it clear that the crisis is not to come; the crisis is right now. They have staff shortages, and those in work are knackered and devastated at what is going on in social care. My hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mick Whitley) and I wrote to the Secretary of State, but we have received no reply. Will the Minister go back to the Department, obtain a reply to my letter, and tell me now, today, what we are doing to secure more staff and better pay in social care?
Copyright (Rights and Remuneration of Musicians, etc.) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-12-03
Topic: Macroeconomics
Julie Elliott (Labour, Centre-left): It is a privilege to be able to speak in this debate, which my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff West (Kevin Brennan) has brought forward. It is a fantastic Bill and I am delighted to have this opportunity. I wish to comment on a couple of things that the right hon. Member for Maldon (Mr Whittingdale) said; it brought back great memories of my teenage years and pressing the start-stop button just to get it right. This was making us feel quite old, but then we are getting quite old. I totally accept some of the things he said about Lucian Grainge, but I also want to put on record that I believe Lucian Grainge is a US taxpayer, not a UK taxpayer, which means, disappointingly, that the huge amount of money he is being paid is not coming to our Exchequer.
Life Sciences — House of Commons, 2021-11-16
Topic: Government Operations
Darren Paul Jones (Labour, Centre-left): It has been reported that the Prime Minister is minded to split up the Secretary of State’s Department so that he can better deliver on the Department’s priorities. Does the Secretary of State agree on that?
Onshoring Manufacturing and Production — House of Commons, 2021-11-16
Topic: Macroeconomics
John Eugene Joseph Dromey (Labour, Centre-left): For this country’s manufacturing base to prosper and succeed, it requires a firm commitment from Government to support the making and buying of goods manufactured in Britain. The Minister will be familiar with the shameful decision by Melrose to shut a factory in Chester Road, Erdington with 70 years of history; those manufacturing jobs were instead exported to Poland. What steps will he take to recoup the £67 million of taxpayers’ money given to Melrose to export jobs to Poland? Will he send an unmistakeable message to Melrose that it will get not one penny more of taxpayers’ support unless it works with the workforce and all the key stakeholders to find an alternative manufacturing use for its site in one of the most deprived communities in Britain?
Clean Steel Fund — House of Commons, 2021-11-16
Topic: Energy
Questions: What steps his Department is taking to allocate funding from the Clean Steel Fund before 2023 following the development of hydrogen-based steelmaking projects in Sweden and Germany.
Seema Malhotra-Saluja (Labour, Centre-left): Years of Tory neglect and inaction mean the UK is falling further behind in the race to win the future of green steel production. Governments around the world are committing to their steel industries with long-term investment, but the Minister, the Budget and, indeed, the hydrogen strategy have failed to deliver any timetable for how the Clean Steel Fund will be implemented. There appears to be no urgency and no plan Will the Secretary of State tell us today whether he will back Labour’s plan for a £3 billion steel renewal fund to achieve near-zero-emissions steel production by 2035 to secure UK steel’s future? If not, why is he so content to see British industries lose out, more British businesses go under and more British jobs lost?
Global Gas Prices — House of Commons, 2021-11-16
Topic: Energy
Shabana Mahmood (Labour, Centre-left): Nothing that the Minister has said today will provide immediate relief to enough of the people who are struggling throughout the country. I have had constituents tell me that they are sitting in the cold to try to save money, yet the Government rejected Labour’s call to cut VAT on energy bills. Such a cut would have provided immediate relief to people in my constituency. What on earth does the Minister expect my constituents to do as they face a long, difficult and cold winter, with rising prices and rising energy prices in particular?
Global Gas Prices — House of Commons, 2021-11-16
Topic: Energy
Alan Patrick Vincent Whitehead (Labour, Centre-left): I think the technically correct answer to the question posed by my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood) is (a) none and (b) none. The Secretary of State claimed that he was in talks with the Treasury about assistance for energy-intensive industries a month ago; it turns out that he was not, and nothing has happened since. Meanwhile, wholesale gas prices remain at around 200p per therm, compared with 39p per therm a year ago. Industry is suffering grievously and 40% of energy companies have now gone bust, leaving more than 2 million customers without a supplier and forced to take on new suppliers, often at great cost to their bills. Even with the price cap, bills are likely to rise by a further £200 in the spring. This is a train wreck, so what is the Minister doing now to rescue passengers from the carriages and put the rolling stock back on the lines? Or will he just continue to act the part of a disinterested bystander?
Aviation: Decarbonisation — House of Commons, 2021-11-16
Topic: Transportation
Kerry Gillian McCarthy (Labour, Centre-left): It has just been revealed that the Transport Secretary is spending departmental money to lobby against the development of private airfields. This includes lobbying against plans to build a battery gigafactory at Coventry airport. What hope do we have of decarbonising transport when the very Cabinet member responsible for that brief is more interested in having somewhere to land his private jet? What conversations is BEIS having with the Department for Transport to ensure that it takes this matter seriously?
Renewable Energy — House of Commons, 2021-11-16
Topic: Energy
Matthew Thomas Pennycook (Labour, Centre-left): In a speech last month to the Energy UK conference, the Secretary of State made the case for a decisive shift towards clean energy and away from what he termed "volatile fossil fuels", on which he said "we are still very dependent, perhaps too dependent" Will he therefore explain how a decision by the Government to permit Cambo, an oilfield whose anticipated lifespan would see it still producing oil four years before we are legally bound to reach net zero, would be anything other than fundamentally at odds with that vision?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-11-16
Topic: Environment
Edward Samuel Miliband (Labour, Centre-left): The Secretary of State should not be defending the Australian Government’s 2030 target. It is he who said about the negotiations: "There may have been an issue about specifically putting the 1.5° on the face of the negotiating mandate." It is time for the Government not only to talk tough, but to act tough, because we must put pressure on countries such as Australia. There is a clear pattern of behaviour here on climate. Too often, this Government face both ways: the Cumbria coal mine, the Cambo oil field, cutting overseas aid for the most vulnerable countries, cutting air passenger duty for domestic flights and failing to invest in green recovery at home. He is the man supposed to be in charge of ensuring the Government speak with one voice. Why does he think he is failing to do so? Is that the reason why people are calling for the COP26 President to take back control of energy and climate change?