argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Ukraine Border: Russian Forces — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: International Affairs
Lisa Eva Nandy (Labour, Centre-left): The difference between the right hon. Gentleman and me is that I stood up to my former party leadership when they got it wrong on this issue. It is pathetic that he cannot do the same given the gravity of the situation that this country currently faces. He has had 18 months since the publication of a report that his own Prime Minister tried to block. We have had no action on golden visas, no powers to sanction corrupt officials. Up to half of all the money that is laundered out of Russia comes through the United Kingdom and, in three years since the Salisbury attacks, it is still not illegal to be a foreign agent in this country. Meanwhile we have seen the oligarchs and kleptocrats who have profited from the Putin regime funnelling money to the Conservative party. [Interruption.] He shakes his head, but it is £5 million since David Cameron became leader. His own Minister, the Minister for Asia, has had multiple donations from a former Russian arms dealer who described himself as "untouchable" because of his links with the Kremlin. If the Foreign Secretary wants to clear this up, he can clear it up once and for all: implement those recommendations from the Russia report; defend the security, the democracy and the integrity of this country; stop the gross negligence; and give us a date by which all 23 recommendations will be implemented in full.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: International Affairs
Catherine Elizabeth West (Labour, Centre-left): As we have heard this morning, this year the UK hosts the global COP summit and the G7, which give us a wonderful opportunity to lay out our leadership and ambition on a world stage. If the Government are really serious about tackling the climate emergency, where is the leadership on the deforestation question in Brazil, where, under the leadership of Jair Bolsonaro, we have seen a rise up to the highest levels of deforestation and impact on indigenous communities in more than a decade? Has the Foreign Secretary raised this directly with Jair Bolsonaro? If not, in broad terms what is he doing at an institutional level to try to address that desperate issue?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher John Bryant (Labour, Centre-left): I agreed with the Prime Minister when he said that his greatest mistake when he was Foreign Secretary was in relation to Russia—that he had misplayed the relationship with Russia—and I want to return to that point. We now know for certain that the two men who were involved in the Skripal poisoning, or attempted poisoning and inadvertent successful poisoning, were GRU officers, almost certainly acting on the direct command of the Kremlin, and that those two officers were also involved in a murder and an explosion in the Czech Republic. It seems extraordinary to me that this has taken so many years to come out. Why has there been such a delay in this information coming to the public, and what are we going to do to make sure that murderers on Putin’s payroll are not strolling the streets of every capital in Europe?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: International Affairs
Stella Judith Creasy (Labour, Centre-left): Eight years ago, my constituent Tyrell Matthews-Burton —a young man with a bright future ahead of him—was brutally murdered in Greece. His family have fought tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice, yet despite convictions, the Metropolitan Police tell us that the Greek authorities are the stumbling block. Will the Foreign Secretary meet me and Tyrell’s family, so that we can prove that it does not matter what colour a person’s skin, this country will always fight for justice for its citizens?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: Macroeconomics
Daniel Joseph Carden (Labour, Centre-left): On the G7, what are the Government doing to address the global debt crisis engulfing the world’s poorest countries? Might I suggest that one way to show leadership on that would be for this House to pass legislation to compel private creditors to participate in debt relief and to stop them suing for debt recovery under UK law?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: International Affairs
Ian Robert Byrne (Labour, Centre-left): I would like to declare an interest: a visit to Colombia with Justice for Colombia. In February, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported on the alleged involvement of Colombian security forces in the deaths of at least 13 protestors last year. There have also been worrying reports of an increased number of protestors losing their sight after being hit with projectiles fired by police, including 19-year-old Yuri Camargo and 22-year-old Miguel Angel Linares, both in 2019. Will the Secretary of State raise the importance of full legal and disciplinary investigations of those cases with his Colombian counterparts?
Afghanistan — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: International Affairs
John Derek Twigg (Labour, Centre-left): I do believe that the decision by the United States, ourselves and NATO to pull out military personnel at this stage will be wrong. I think it only gives succour to the Taliban. We do not have a stable situation in Afghanistan yet. Can I ask the Minister what support is being given to women during the peace process? He knows the importance of women within Afghan society, and their advancement is so important. What is he doing to give support to women to ensure that they have a strong platform and to ensure that things such as girls’ education are protected?
Afghanistan — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: International Affairs
Jessica Elizabeth Morden (Labour, Centre-left): The allies’ withdrawal from Afghanistan is causing deep concern for those who placed their lives on the line as invaluable interpreters for British forces. We know that the Taliban will exact revenge on those who supported the alliance, so what steps are Ministers taking now to fulfil our responsibility and our promises to ensure that the remaining interpreters and the families of those who are already here—I still have ongoing constituency cases where there are problems—are rescued? This is about honouring our promises.
Afghanistan — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: International Affairs
Diana Ruth Johnson (Labour, Centre-left): Can the Minister give specific examples of actions that the Government now intend to take as we withdraw from Afghanistan to support and ensure that all the improvements that have been taking place over the past 20 years in the human rights of women and girls, such as access to education and healthcare, will not be reduced or reversed?
Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: Labor
Matthew Thomas Pennycook (Labour, Centre-left): In the light of the job statistics released this morning indicating that young people and London have been particularly hard hit over the past 12 months, the issue of ethnic minority employment and pay prospects is pressing for many of my constituents. The report paints a largely positive story of an overall convergence between minorities and the white majority when it comes to employment and pay, yet the official data makes it perfectly clear that the situation has not markedly improved when viewed over decades. For example, the unemployment rate for black people has consistently been more than double the rate for white people over the past 20 years. How, then, does the Minister believe that the report’s claims in this area can be squared with what the available evidence clearly illustrates, which is that structural racial inequalities remain a stubborn feature of our labour market?
Finance (No. 2) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: Law and Crime
Catherine Elizabeth West (Labour, Centre-left): My hon. Friend is making a great speech. Does he agree that it seems disproportionate that more people, in an adjusted sense, tackle benefit fraud than tackle big business or dodgy individuals who are taking money from the public purse?
Finance (No. 2) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: Macroeconomics
Ruth Margaret Cadbury (Labour, Centre-left): I acknowledge the point that the hon. Gentleman makes and the amount of money brought into the Revenue by the measures, but is he not also conscious that the sheer number of different measures has, for many taxpayers, added to the complexity? We have one of the most complex tax regimes in the world and that complexity often catches people unawares, and costs them lots of money and sometimes their businesses and their homes.
Finance (No. 2) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: Macroeconomics
Catherine Elizabeth West (Labour, Centre-left): My hon. Friend makes a very important point. I am sure it has not escaped the Treasury’s attention that prices of the top 1% of properties in the country—mainly in London—have been skyrocketing, when everybody else’s house prices have been going up by a little. That differential is quite frightening. In this terrible time when our economy has shrunk by 11%, who can afford to buy properties worth several million pounds, and do we know enough about these individuals? We know that there are big gaps in the way that Companies House operates, in terms of simply understanding who owns what, and simplifying that is the sort of thing that would make the work of HMRC much more streamlined I would also like to put on record the wonderful work being done by civic society groups to spread information and education about the importance of understanding taxation, what it does and what it purchases. It is through these campaigns—often outside this House—that we can understand how to change things. Aside from our international reputation often being questioned on the issue of Russian oligarchs, we know that the lack of action on questioning some people’s contacts with the Kremlin is costing us over £30 billion every year in lost revenue from taxes. That is a lot of money, and it would be better used to pay for the furlough, eliminate child poverty, vaccinate more children in the third world, or pay and equip our NHS staff for the heroic job that they do every single day The Government must act without delay and begin by supporting amendment 77 and new clause 29, which are a significant improvement on the weaker proposals put forward by the Government. That would send a signal that the UK will no longer be silent in the face of tax evasion and tax avoidance and is no longer a welcome home for the oligarchs and agents who see the UK as the destination of choice for their ill-gotten gains. I urge the Minister to do the right thing.
Finance (No. 2) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: Macroeconomics
Ruth Margaret Cadbury (Labour, Centre-left): I speak in support of new clause 29 in the name of Her Majesty’s Opposition and cross-party amendment 77. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing North (James Murray), my right hon. Friend the Member for Barking (Dame Margaret Hodge) and the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell) on their speeches Addressing tax avoidance and evasion is, of course, an important objective of the Treasury, and Finance Bills and other legislation are the vehicles to do that, but as with all tax changes, Government must assess and respond to the unintended consequences of any changes. This Government have a terrible track record on tackling tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. They have consistently stood in the way of Labour’s calls to clamp down on loopholes and have failed to collect over £30 billion in taxes every year. They have promised to legislate on these issues, but the proposals in the Bill fall far short of any substantive change. Instead, they have been responsible for an increasingly complex system of payment, fraught with difficulties and risks for the unsuspecting worker A growing number of working people need to work on a contractor basis, either for personal reasons or because it is the only way of getting work in their sector or with their professional skillset. Increasingly, the alternative to being a contractor is to be a PAYE freelancer—to pay tax in full but without any of the rights of being an employee and all the costs of being self-employed. This is zero-rights employment, and it is unfair We need an effective tax avoidance policy that criminalises those promoting tax avoidance, rather than going for the workers inadvertently caught up in them, as this Government and HMRC have been doing with the loan charge in particular. That is the wrong target. While ordinary people who are victims of mis-selling are facing ruin and bankruptcy, the Government have done too little, too late to go after those who promoted the schemes I acknowledge that the Bill contains measures to tackle the promoters of tax avoidance and changes the system of penalties, but those measures are extremely limited in scope. Indeed, those changes are not even included in the Budget report costings, which suggests that their financial impact must be minimal. IR35 was enacted 21 years ago to stop the practice of those who, in reality, were permanent, generally full-time workers being paid as contractors through personal services companies, as many were paying much less tax than if they had been employees. It was right to address that tax avoidance, but the Government must address the unintended consequences for workers and the labour market that have followed since then.
Finance (No. 2) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-04-20
Topic: Macroeconomics
Ruth Margaret Cadbury (Labour, Centre-left): I understand what the Minister has said. Of course, most of us are aware of our own tax bands. But how can the Minister expect basic rate taxpayers—a nurse, an IT contractor, somebody working in the film industry, even somebody on minimum wage—to do due diligence when nothing they read or have been sent ever mentions loans, and when they are given a convincing narrative that their tax is being paid for and they do not need to worry? Should not HMRC and the Treasury be addressing this issue, because it is a growing part of the employment market?
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh — House of Commons, 2021-04-12
Topic: Education
Barbara Mary Keeley (Labour, Centre-left): I want to join the tributes to His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. His companionship and support of Queen Elizabeth throughout their lives together was extraordinary. Prince Philip gave our country distinguished service in many different roles, and today I want to pay tribute specifically to his service as the first chancellor of the University of Salford. For 24 years, from when the university received its royal charter in 1967 until he stepped down in 1991, Prince Philip served as a dedicated and active chancellor of the University of Salford, and he is the longest-serving chancellor that the university has had During his time as chancellor, Prince Philip took an active part in the life of the university. He was a frequent visitor to the campus and enjoyed talking to the students there. For example, in 1968, he talked to students who were disappointed with their representation on the university senate. In 1973, he discussed the anti-apartheid campaign with a group of students who were staging a demonstration. Discussing the prince’s role within the University of Salford, Professor Andy Miah, chair of science communication and future media at the university, said in 2017: "What comes across to me was that, while figures like the Duke of Edinburgh have countless patronages and public roles, it felt like he truly cared about his contribution to our University. Salford was a place he could talk about with strong recollections and a sense of purpose about what the university could do." Prince Philip handed over his duties as chancellor in 1991, but he maintained a close interest in the university, with regular visits and occasional guest lectures. In 2012, Prince Philip returned to meet a new generation of students when he opened the university’s new building at MediaCity in Salford during the Queen’s diamond jubilee tour. The Queen and Prince Philip have also supported many creative projects in Salford. In 1980, Prince Philip opened Harold Riley’s famous "Salford 80" exhibition, which was described by The Sunday Times as "the greatest photographic exhibition ever shown" and involved 30 separate exhibitions. During another visit to Salford in 2000, the Queen and Prince Philip opened our wonderful and important arts centre and theatre The Lowry I send my deepest condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and her family. I know that Prince Philip will be missed greatly. As we have heard in the House today, the Duke of Edinburgh’s lifelong commitment to public service will be remembered in so many different ways. I pay tribute to his lifetime of service to our country, and as a graduate of Salford University and a Salford MP, I thank Prince Philip for his particular dedication to both the students and the University of Salford. May he rest in peace.
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh — House of Commons, 2021-04-12
Topic: Environment
Rosemary Clare Duffield (Labour, Centre-left): It is a privilege to join with colleagues across the House today in paying tribute to His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh on behalf of my constituents in Canterbury. First and foremost, he will be greatly missed by his family, but it is clear from the many tributes that he will also be greatly missed by the British people as the nation’s grandfather Prince Philip was an independent spirit—many of us here in this House may be able to relate to that a little—who used his position to stand up for causes he believed so passionately in. From as early as the 1950s and into the 1960s, when he became president of the World Wildlife Fund, he promoted environmental causes such as air pollution at a time when it was far from fashionable to do so. In 1970, in a speech to the Australian Conservation Foundation, he said: "The conservation of nature, the proper care for the human environment and a general concern for the long-term future of the whole of our planet are absolutely vital if future generations are to have a chance to enjoy their existence on this Earth." Those words resonate strongly today. Some have reported that he believed strongly that it should not be politicised, but in raising our awareness of the natural world around us, the plight of endangered species and the greenhouse effect, he got so many of us to sit up and take seriously the future of the planet when, as Sir David Attenborough put it: "The majority of people were quite unaware that we were heading for ecological disasters." Of course, we must also pay tribute to his work for young people. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, which he launched in 1956, has given many thousands of young people from all backgrounds, including my own children, the opportunity to develop essential skills for life and work and to make lifelong memories Prince Philip had a long-standing relationship with Kent, and in particular with our wonderful Canterbury cathedral. Of course, anyone passing through the west door to the cathedral now passes under a statue of the Duke of Edinburgh standing next to the Queen, which was unveiled in 2015, and yesterday the Archbishop of Canterbury led a service and paid tribute to him there. Prince Philip led a remarkable life, from his service in the Royal Navy during the second world war, fighting against fascism, to his seven decades of public service through his marriage to our Queen. His legacy will live on, including his championing of environmental causes and his being a very early adopter of the idea of electric vehicles I will end with the words yesterday of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, reminding us of the very personal bereavement of Prince Philip’s family: "We all know that it is not simply a factor of age or familiarity. It is not obliterated by the reality of a very long life remarkably led, nor is the predictability of death’s arrival a softening of the blow. Loss is loss." All our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they come to terms with their enormous loss.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-02-04
Topic: Technology
Christian John Patrick Matheson (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Secretary of State for his kind words about my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff Central (Jo Stevens); she will be watching and will be very grateful Ofcom is to become a super-regulator with a huge breadth of responsibilities and all their technical complexities, particularly in the digital sphere: online harms and safety, the BBC and broadcasting in general, security of telecoms infrastructure against hostile threats, broadband, and the Post Office. Does the Secretary of State agree that the new chair of Ofcom should have at least some knowledge of and experience in those complex sectors in order to be appointed?
Crown Prosecution Service: Apprenticeships — House of Commons, 2021-02-04
Topic: Law and Crime
Eleanor Claire Reeves (Labour, Centre-left): There is a backlog of 55,000 cases in our Crown courts, victims are waiting years for their cases to be heard, and CPS letters fail to be of standard nearly 50% of the time. While we welcome apprenticeships in the CPS, staff levels were cut by 31% between 2011 and 2019, so why have the Government Law Officers failed to get to grips with the fundamental crisis facing the CPS and our criminal justice system?
Serious Fraud Office — House of Commons, 2021-02-04
Topic: Law and Crime
Barry John Sheerman (Labour, Centre-left): May I remind the Minister that many people believe that the Serious Fraud Office is seriously underfunded and under-resourced? It has just abandoned its inquiry into British American Tobacco. It is not able to take on the big boys and girls that cause the real trouble here, including serious financial misdeeds. When is he going to start again, look at the Serious Fraud Office, and give it the resources it needs to go after these real problems?
Domestic Violence Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2021-02-04
Topic: Law and Crime
Jessica Elizabeth Morden (Labour, Centre-left): About a fifth of crimes reported in lockdown have involved domestic abuse, and there is real concern that the number of specialist domestic violence courts seems to be reducing. Will the Minister commit to strengthen the system and increase the number of specialised courts, so that we can support the hard work of the police and support victims at trial?
Domestic Violence Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2021-02-04
Topic: Law and Crime
Alexander Cunningham (Labour, Centre-left): Despite what the Minister says, domestic abuse prosecutions continue to plummet. They had already fallen off the cliff edge before the pandemic hit the justice system, with an annual decrease of some 22% in the year up to March 2020. Will he tell me what pre-emptive action is being taken now to stop this freefall and maintain the confidence of the victims of these deplorable crimes?
Domestic Violence Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2021-02-04
Topic: Law and Crime
Eleanor Claire Reeves (Labour, Centre-left): I, too, offer my congratulations to the Attorney General on her forthcoming maternity leave As well as domestic violence prosecutions being down 19%, victims are left waiting for months for their cases to go to court and are increasingly being told to pursue civil cases instead. Despite the Solicitor General’s warm words, it is clear that the Government are letting victims down on every front. With the huge barriers facing victims of domestic abuse, will the Solicitor General join me today in backing the Bar Council’s call for non-means-tested legal aid to be made available to victims in the upcoming spending review?