argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
HS2 — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with Douglas Oakervee on potential alternative routes for High Speed Two phases 1 and 2a; and if he will make a statement.
Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan (Conservative, Centre-right): It is reported in New Civil Engineer this morning that the advisory panel to the so-called independent Oakervee review has been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements in an attempt to stop leaks. How can it be right that a publicly funded project is again trying to conceal information about its viability by gagging the very people who have in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of this dreadful project?
HS2 — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Other
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with Douglas Oakervee on potential alternative routes for High Speed Two phases 1 and 2a; and if he will make a statement.
Paul Christopher Maynard (Conservative, Centre-right): Mr Oakervee is trying to ensure that he works consensually with the panel to ensure that they reach a single report. The management of the panel and the individuals on it, who cover a wide range of views, is a matter for Mr Oakervee.
HS2 — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Housing
Questions: What recent discussions he has had with Douglas Oakervee on potential alternative routes for High Speed Two phases 1 and 2a; and if he will make a statement.
David Roy Lidington (Conservative, Centre-right): From you, Mr Speaker, I take that as a compliment Will my hon. Friend instruct HS2 Ltd that it and its contractors should follow its own construction code and give local residents along phase 1 due and proper advance notice of the enabling works that it intends to carry out, instead of the high-handed, peremptory and arrogant approach that HS2 Ltd is currently taking?
Transport Infrastructure: London Region — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrew Richard Rosindell (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for his response, but has he looked into the possibility of expanding his investment programme to the Gallows Corner area of my constituency—a major hub from Essex into London? Its 50-year-old structure now needs to be replaced. Is it not time that the Government stepped in to make sure that this happens?
Transport Infrastructure: London Region — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
George William Freeman (Conservative, Centre-right): I am delighted to confirm that we are indeed stepping in. My hon. Friend is a dogged advocate of the needs of Romford and, along with his companion Buster, has done more than anyone to put this subject on the map. I know that as well as Brexit he wants "Hexit"—he wants control of Havering taken back into Essex. However, I can confirm that we are looking at this scheme with TfL to develop a series of major structural renewals at Gallows Corner, as announced by the Government in October 2018.
Transport Infrastructure: London Region — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Housing
Jacqueline Doyle-Price (Conservative, Centre-right): Plans to deliver 3,000 new homes in Purfleet in my constituency have ground to a halt following Highways England’s decision to reject any planning application for more than 250 houses due to pressure on the A13. I find it difficult to explain to my constituents why Highways England is putting a new motorway through Thurrock while preventing us from planning and delivering new homes. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the matter?
Transport Infrastructure: London Region — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Housing
George William Freeman (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend. She will be pleased to know that the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport are working on the much closer integration of housing and transport.
Transport Infrastructure — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
George William Freeman (Conservative, Centre-right): I think the nation will be interested to hear the Opposition Front Bench team announcing major plans for investment, given that their economic plans will see a massive loss of investment in this country and massive economic damage. We can fund good transport infrastructure and a good NHS only when we have economic growth. The truth is that this Government are proceeding with the biggest investment package in road, rail and infrastructure in this country since the Victorians—£72 billion—and we are spending more per head on passengers in the north than in the south. This Government have the interests of the north at their heart.
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Peter William Bone (Conservative, Centre-right): The travel industry has a proud record of pulling together when a company goes under, and that happened in the Thomas Cook case. Thomas Cook would have had an air travel organisers’ licence, so the money that was used to repatriate people from abroad should be recovered from that fund, which is levied on the travel industry. The net cost to the Government should therefore be very small.
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Grant Shapps (Conservative, Centre-right): If there was any possible way to ensure the survival of a company whose directors were allegedly being paid millions of pounds—it is interesting to hear that the Opposition want us to have backed those millions of pounds of bonuses with yet more money from the public purse—we would have done it but, as I said, it would have required accounting officer direction, because it simply did not stack up. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the reality is that Hays Travel has come in and rescued many of those jobs, because well-run companies survive. Poorly run companies cannot survive.
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Observers of our proceedings will doubtless have heard the sedentary exclamations of the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull East (Karl Turner), who is further validating the assertion that I make to audiences around the world, which is that he is the loudest Member of the House.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Housing
Questions: It may have been Dr Johnson who said that it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive, but there can be no hope without safety. Professor Mohammed Abdel-Haq’s report, which I commissioned, had public safety at its heart. Will the Secretary of State do all he can through secondary legislation and statutory guidance to make people safer when they travel in taxis, and meet me and the hon. Members for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) and for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham) to discuss how he will go about that?; Following on from previous speakers on the taxi issue, we have been raising it now for well over 12 months, probably nearer two years. We have had Adjournment debates and questions on it. It is not good enough for the Secretary of State now to say that we are going out to consultation on some minor parts of it. We should have the full report and it should be debated in this House and amended if necessary.; The Minister will be aware that transport affects the whole of the Greater London area, but beyond that, is it not time that this was reviewed so that places such as Essex, Kent, Surrey and Hertfordshire have a say about transport policy in the Greater London area?; My hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham East (Janet Daby) mentioned that Transport for London had launched its new consultation on the Bakerloo line extension. There is a growing risk that this vital piece of infrastructure could be prevented by premature development coming forward on key sites along the routes. Will the Secretary of State commit today to issuing safeguarding directions to the proposed route as soon as possible?
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I actually met her about this and other subjects only a couple of weeks ago. My officials, along with Ministry of Housing officials, are currently working with TfL to understand the case for the Bakerloo line extension and how it interacts with housing proposals, and I expect to be able to report more very shortly.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): On 17 October, the United Kingdom and the European Union reached political agreement on a new withdrawal agreement and political declaration for the future relationship. That includes a revised protocol for Northern Ireland, which has been extensively debated in this House. The agreement is clear that Great Britain and Northern Ireland are one customs territory. Goods that are not at risk of moving to the European Union will attract no tariffs. These arrangements mean that Northern Ireland would remain in the UK’s customs territory and could benefit from the UK’s new trade deals with third countries. Goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland that are destined for the European Union will have to comply with European Union rules. To ensure that the correct tariffs are applied and that goods comply with the rules of the single regulatory zone, some information will be needed on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland The deal also explicitly allows the United Kingdom to ensure unfettered market access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. There will be minimal targeted interventions designed to prevent, for example, trade in endangered species, which I would have thought the House would agree on. We will work with the European Union to eliminate those limited processes as soon as possible after Brexit. The most important point is that the arrangements automatically dissolve after four years unless a majority of the Northern Ireland Assembly in Stormont votes to keep them.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. I accorded the hon. Gentleman some latitude in the light of his notable celebrity as the Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, but a similar latitude cannot be widely extended. At this rate, lots of people will not get in, and it will be no good their whingeing about it—that is the reality.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): We have had only five Back Benchers, even though the urgent question has been running for 26 minutes. I say gently to the Secretary of State that nobody could accuse him of excluding from his answers any consideration that he thinks might be material in any century, but it would be helpful if we could expedite progress on this important matter.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Immigration
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): The right hon. Lady has referred to the Home Secretary’s evidence to the Committee that she chairs. I understand that the Home Secretary wrote to her Committee this morning to clarify her comments. The right hon. Lady has indicated that she has had a chance to see that. I just put that on the record. As was referred to earlier, checks already apply in terms of rest of the world goods and the single epidemiological unit. Those are quite right. But underpinning all the detail that Members quite properly want to probe is the principle of consent. Any issues that apply will be subject to Northern Ireland. The key issue on that is that that aligns with the EU and the UK wanting to minimise any impact, because both sides know that the arrangements will be subject to a consent mechanism in the Northern Ireland Assembly in a way that did not apply to the backstop.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend absolutely captures a key point in terms of that distinction, and I very much agree with him. I would expect most firms to get intermediaries to complete the administrative process required for moving goods, so he is absolutely right in the distinction that he draws. Indeed, that is exactly what the implementation period would be used for—to address that distinction.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Stephen Paul Barclay (Conservative, Centre-right): I visited the port of Rotterdam to discuss the arrangements that it is making. For goods coming from Rotterdam to, say, Northern Ireland and then on to Great Britain, any requirements are within the control of Great Britain and the UK; there are no requirements on that in the protocol. The hon. Gentleman knows that most of the time—this is what I was discussing with the port of Rotterdam—these issues are intelligence-led in any event. That is the case now and that will be the case in the future.
Checks on Goods: Northern Ireland and Great Britain — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Adam Afriyie (Conservative, Centre-right): In addition to the symbolism of the issue, there is also a matter of practicality, given the limited number of businesses and transactions that may require declarations. Are the Government able to provide financial support or fiscal support to the limited number of affected businesses in Northern Ireland?
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): I inform the House that I have selected amendment (g) in the name of the Leader of the Opposition, which will be moved by the shadow Chancellor at the start of the debate, and amendment (h) in the name of the leader of the Scottish National party, which will be moved formally at the end of the debate.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Chancellor in his excellent speech also tell the House how much better off someone on low pay is, because, with the increases in the living wage and the increases in the tax-free threshold, households are taking home much more, and particularly the lowest paid?
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): As I was saying, Gordon Brown, as Chancellor in 1997, boasted about deregulating the banks and the financial sector. At the time, he was warned by the then shadow Chancellor—the Conservative shadow Chancellor—Peter Lilley, that deregulation would "cause regulators to take their eye off the ball"—[Official Report, 1 November 1997; Vol. 300, c. 731-2.] and that it would be a field day for spivs and crooks everywhere. That is what he said, in this House, and during Labour’s term in office, bank leverage rocketed from an average of 20 before they came to office to an average of 50 times during their entire time in office. Labour was responsible for the biggest banking crash in global history, and they had better get used to it.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the worst effects of the banking crisis was the impact that it had on many thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises in this country, who lost their livelihoods and sometimes their homes. The Business Banking Resolution Service, which has been set up to deal with historic complaints, is excluding many people on very tight eligibility criteria, which I regard as unfair, as someone who sits on that steering group. I believe it requires the intervention of the Chancellor to get UK Finance to come to the table, to be fairer about those eligibility criteria. Will he commit to do that?
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): Look, first I commend my hon. Friend for all the work that he has done, and continues to do, to support small businesses throughout the country. He has raised an important issue. He knows that work is ongoing to address that, but I would be happy to meet him and discuss it further.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Sajid Javid (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with the hon. Gentleman that the banks should think carefully about their responsibilities to all communities, and the Economic Secretary to the Treasury met the chief executive of Barclays just today to discuss that very issue.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Luke Patrick Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome my right hon. Friend’s announcements on infrastructure and broadband, which will also apply to Scotland. Will he also confirm that we were spending around £20 billion more on interest payments when the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats came into government? Those interest payments were going to international bondholders, so the friends of the international bankers and financiers are, in fact, in the Labour party, not the Conservatives.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Michael Fallon (Conservative, Centre-right): I certainly understand that, and my hon. Friend takes me to the point with which I wish to conclude, which is what more we can do to encourage share ownership. Some of the employee share schemes we have—I have written to the Chancellor on this—are still very complicated. The qualifying periods are still very long and do not reflect the mobility of the modern workforce. I am afraid some of the lower-paid staff simply cannot afford to participate in them. I hope that when it comes to his Budget, the Chancellor will keep looking at how we can do more to promote employee share ownership in particular, by reducing the qualifying periods and giving people a real incentive to save.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Michael Fallon (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sorry but I will not; I am just finishing One of my heroes of the year—there may be many other candidates—is an entrepreneur called Julian Richer, who is now coming up to retirement and is handing over 40% of his company, Richer Sounds, to the employees, ensuring that they have a stake in the future. We need more incentives like that to promote loyalty and give people a real stake in their future. I thoroughly support the Queen’s Speech.
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
William Nigel Paul Cash (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my hon. Friend accept that, during the transition period, it is essential that we protect ourselves from legislation from the European Union on tax and business, which could do enormous damage to our vital national interests?
The Economy — House of Commons, 2019-10-24
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. Resume your seat. I very gently say that, when names are put into these speeches, it is the responsibility of the Secretary of State to delete those names. We do not name people in the Chamber but refer to them by their title. That is a pretty obvious point.
Rural Areas: Access to Health Care — House of Commons, 2019-07-23
Topic: Other
Stephen William Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady asks a good question on behalf of her constituents. I cannot confirm today when that will happen, but I will look into the matter and write to her to make sure that she gets the answer.
Healthcare Staffing Levels — House of Commons, 2019-07-23
Topic: Mixed Topics
Matthew John David Hancock (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I do. I was surprised by the recent news that I read about medical schools in Scotland being told to discriminate against medical students from elsewhere in the UK. I understand that the Scottish National party itself accepts that this is discriminatory. I doubt that the policy will last and I look forward to an SNP U-turn.
Healthcare Staffing Levels — House of Commons, 2019-07-23
Topic: Mixed Topics
Matthew John David Hancock (Conservative, Centre-right): I have been working hard with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to ensure that we can resolve this important issue. The hon. Gentleman will have seen the consultation document that we put out yesterday to resolve the problem. The consultation is open and asks open questions about the best way to fix it. I am absolutely determined that we will fix it to remove some of the unintended consequences of changes in pension tax law. It is a pity, though, that the SNP spokesman did not stand up to accept that the proposal mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Angus (Kirstene Hair) which would discriminate against people from outside of Scotland is wrong and should be withdrawn.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2019-07-23
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: Provision of in vitro fertilisation in Redditch has been reduced from two cycles to one. I warmly welcome the work that the Minister has done to increase equity across the country, but what more can she do to address the postcode lottery in this and other areas, such as hip and knee surgery?; Has the Secretary of State given further consideration to providing extra funds to meet the challenges of running unavoidably small hospitals, such as Scarborough and the Friarage in Northallerton?; My constituent Catherine is undergoing post-operative breast cancer treatment. A new drug, Pertuzumab, which has been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, has been shown to improve a woman’s life chances. The drug was prescribed for Catherine by her oncologist at the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, but that was overruled by NHS England, although in the neighbouring trust patients are allowed it. Can the Minister guarantee that women who could extend their lives by taking this drug have access to it, no matter where they live?; I am not going to shout at the Secretary of State this morning, but I will say to him that Huddersfield is a typical town, and a lovely place in which to live and work. Given that it is so attractive, why is it so difficult for us to find doctors and dentists who can give a good service to my constituents under this modern NHS?; Constituents of mine recovering from mental health problems have told me that when they have shared their desire to return to work with jobcentre staff, jobcentre staff have used that as a trigger to move them from employment support allowance to jobseeker’s allowance, with, obviously, the financial loss involved in that. Do Ministers agree that whoever is still in their job by the end of the week could usefully talk to the Department for Work and Pensions team about how people with mental health problems can be supported back into work without being penalised?
Jacqueline Doyle-Price (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes is the short answer, and the hon. Gentleman will be pleased to know that I have regular discussions with colleagues in the DWP to see what we can do to humanise all our processes for benefits claimants, because it is important that when people suffering from mental ill health interact with organisations of the state, we are not causing them harm. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that that is very high on the list of things in my in-tray.
Personal Independence Payments: Supreme Court Ruling — House of Commons, 2019-07-23
Topic: Mixed Topics
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have set out, we will be looking carefully at the judgment, but the hon. Gentleman highlights something. As constituency MPs, we all have cases in which it is clear that, with additional written and oral evidence, a different decision could come about. That is why it is right—it is a departmental priority—to improve the mandatory reconsideration stage, so that more people can get the correct decision much quicker, without the long independent appeal process.