argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I have real sympathy for those in the wedding industry who have been affected. It is a great industry, and times are very tough for them. That is why we are putting in the jobs support scheme and extra grants for businesses. The best way forward is for us to get the virus down and get the spread down, so that we can reopen those types of businesses as fast as possible.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Civil Rights
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I wholly share the hon. Lady’s feelings about the vital importance of allowing women to have a birth partner with them during labour. As she rightly says, we have changed the guidelines to make that possible, but if she has particular cases in mind where this is not happening, I would be grateful if she would write to me with the details.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I hear my hon. Friend, and I understand the point that he makes. Alas, as I said earlier, micro control of this virus is very difficult without restricting people’s freedom of movement in such a way as to be very difficult for people in Yorkshire.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Other
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for representing his constituents well in the way he does. Of course, we will make sure that we regularly review the measures for his constituency, and indeed for every constituency in this country.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gareth Mark Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Lincolnshire is a vast rural county with many large towns. Can the Prime Minister assure me that any future restrictions and measures imposed on my county will be as targeted as possible and be made together with Lincolnshire County Council leadership?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Richard John Holden (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Prime Minister and the Chancellor for the £200 billion they have already put in, which has supported employers and employees in my constituency, but North West Durham constituents in events and hospitality are under severe pressure at the moment, with restrictions already hammering their bottom line. In County Durham, what support is available for businesses? Does the Prime Minister know when the negotiations on whether we will be in tier 3 or tier 3 will be determined with local authorities?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes. I am aware of the feelings in the midlands and, indeed, around the country. I can tell the people of Meriden that we want to get them out of any kind of restrictions as fast as we possibly can.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Jane Marion Hunt (Conservative, Centre-right): Could the Prime Minister say how we can use the three-tier system to enable all types of businesses to use a risk assessment base to their operation to help them remain open and fully working in all but the very high-tier instances?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Robert Joseph Roberts (Conservative, Centre-right): In Delyn, which would likely fall into tier 2 on the new scale, we have draconian travel bans imposed by the Welsh Government, which mean that people can go shopping 20 miles in one direction but cannot go half a mile in the other to visit family. That movement restriction makes a massive difference to business success, but Treasury support will not apply because businesses are not being mandated to close. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the virus does not respect county boundaries and join me and my north Wales colleagues in calling on the Labour Government in Wales to publish their information and justify their decisions, as he does on a regular basis?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point. That is why we have extended the job support system. The universal credit system is also there to provide a safety net and to help people, precisely because, as their incomes may go down, so universal credit goes up. That is the point of the system.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Laurence Anthony Robertson (Conservative, Centre-right): Every weekend in my constituency, a large car boot sale takes place. I have no objection to that, but next weekend, just a few hundred yards down the road, Cheltenham races will be run without any paying spectators. Surely that is an anomaly. Will the Prime Minister address that by allowing sporting venues to open to welcome paying spectators, as long as they do so in a safe way?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I repeat Bournemouth University’s offer to establish a testing lab on its campus to help the local community. I welcome today’s statement, but the Prime Minister is well aware of the importance of the hospitality industry to Bournemouth’s economy. I would be very grateful if he reviewed the 10 pm curfew as urgently as possible.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Andrew John Carter (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Prime Minister and his team for engaging across the weekend, and for the decision to place Warrington into tier 2, rather than including it in the wider Merseyside region. One of the many questions I am asked by businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, is: what are the criteria for moving Warrington back into tier 1 and reducing the level of restrictions locally?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand completely the frustrations of the people of Mansfield. I am afraid that further restrictions are necessary across the country in the way that we have outlined today, but of course they will be reviewed very regularly.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady makes a very important point, but for some of the businesses that she talks about—aviation, for instance—we have packages. Whether through Time to Pay or through the Birch process, we are trying to look after the aviation sector, but for all businesses that are unable to trade as normal the joint support system is there.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrea Jacqueline Leadsom (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure my right hon. Friend would agree that if we are to get broad compliance with these very tough lockdown measures, ordinary, sensible working people need to understand that they are fair and logical. Will my right hon. Friend therefore agree to publish precise details of not just what the rules are but why each one is necessary?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Laura Trott (Conservative, Centre-right): I was glad to hear the Prime Minister refer in his opening statement to the need to continue elective operations. My own trust has pledged to continue them through winter for as long as possible. Will the Prime Minister confirm that the decision will continue to be locally led and that he will do all he can to prevent a backlog?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course, in addition to the billions that we have invested—including £19 billion in coronavirus business interruption loans to small and medium-sized enterprises and £38 billion in bounce back loans, all of which are still available—we are making cash grants of up to £3,000 for businesses, such as those in Merseyside, that have been forced to close as a result of local lockdowns.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Other
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I appreciate the sacrifice that my hon. Friend’s constituents have been making, and I am sorry for the privations that are being visited on people across the country. To see exactly where you are and what you need to do, get on the website. As soon as we can take areas out of the measures that they are in, of course we will do so.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Civil Rights
James Sunderland (Conservative, Centre-right): I would like to tackle a misnomer, if I may. Is it not because this Conservative Government respect personal freedoms that these difficult but pragmatic measures are necessary in the short term to keep people safe?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): It is indeed, because people should have the freedom from fear, the freedom from seeing their jobs destroyed in the long term and the freedom to go about their lives in the normal way. The only way to restore those freedoms to this country is for us all to follow the guidance, get through this thing in the way that we are doing and get back to normal as fast as possible.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Civil Rights
Imran Nasir Ahmad Khan (Conservative, Centre-right): As Conservatives, we often speak of levelling up. However, now is the time to level with the British people. There is no silver bullet. All measures to stop the spread of covid have painful effects on our economy, social lives and mental wellbeing. Voices on the Opposition Benches believe that British people are incapable of understanding complex issues such as Brexit. The Conservative party is the champion of individuals’ rights to make autonomous decisions without state interference. Will the Prime Minister double down on our party’s historic commitment to invest greater trust in the individual to decide what is best for themselves?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Other
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course we keep all this under review but, as I have said several times throughout the afternoon, you have to keep your geographical area fairly coherent. I know that that causes a great deal of frustration for hon. Members and I have been hearing itt for weeks and months, but that is the way that we have to do it.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Richard Quentin Fuller (Conservative, Centre-right): I was down as No. 116 on the list today, so may I thank the Prime Minister for answering so many questions in the Chamber today? Regulatory impact assessments are pesky little things, but they are absolutely vital in assessing the impact of regulation on the community and particularly on small businesses. Can my right hon. Friend commit to ask his Cabinet colleagues to prepare regulatory impact assessments for the three-tier approach, to have them scored by the Regulatory Policy Committee and laid before the House of Commons within the next 30 days?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Other
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Prime Minister for his statement and for answering well over 100 questions in over two hours, and I am grateful to those who have participated. There will be many other MPs who would have loved to have got on the call list I suspend the House for three minutes.
Agriculture Bill — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Richard Quentin Fuller (Conservative, Centre-right): On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. The ruling that you have just made regarding amendment 18 will surprise, if not stun, many people outside, who had placed much hope in the Trade and Agriculture Commission. Could you provide the House with any further details of the rationale, because on first reading it is not clear what the financial implications of this particular provision would be? What—if any—other remedies might be available to Members of this House to pursue this matter further?
Agriculture Bill — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Other
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the hon. Member for his point of order. As he is an experienced Member of the House, he knows that when Mr Speaker and the Public Bill Office look at these amendments, they do so very thoroughly. Although they do not have to give a reason why an amendment is allowed or not allowed, the statement that I have just made is quite rare in the 28 years that I have been a Member—and I think Mr Speaker has done rather well, to be honest.
Agriculture Bill — House of Commons, 2020-10-12
Topic: Other
Neil Quentin Gordon Parish (Conservative, Centre-right): Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is not really Mr Speaker I wish to challenge. I just want to say that it was not beyond the wit of Ministers to table a money resolution so that we could have dealt with amendment 18. This has put Mr Speaker in a very difficult position.
UK Internal Market Bill: Rule of Law — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Robert James Buckland (Conservative, Centre-right): I am absolutely committed, under the oath I took as Lord Chancellor, to upholding the rule of law; the freedoms and protections we all enjoy rely on it, and as a responsible Government, we remain wholly committed to it. At all stages, as a responsible Government, we must ensure that we have the ability to uphold our commitments to the people of Northern Ireland. We will do what it takes to protect the integrity of our United Kingdom.
UK Internal Market Bill: Rule of Law — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Robert James MacGillivray Neill (Conservative, Centre-right): I also wish the Lord Chancellor a happy birthday. I calculate that I have known him for about half his life. Throughout that time, I have never had the slightest doubt as to his integrity and his commitment to the rule of law. Does he accept that the important changes that the Government accepted in the course of the Committee stage yesterday would not have happened without some pressure from the Back Benches, and without his very close personal and direct involvement in making changes to the Bill and to the test that the Government will apply. That was precisely because he, I and many others are committed to the rule of law. Ad hominem attacks to the contrary are unworthy and unjustified.
UK Internal Market Bill: Rule of Law — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Robert James Buckland (Conservative, Centre-right): I really find it extraordinary that the right hon. Gentleman brings the code of conduct into these matters. Like him, I am acting as a Member of Parliament. I am acting as a Minister in the Government—[Interruption.] I am not a Law Officer; I am the Lord Chancellor. The Law Officers of this country are the Attorney General, the Solicitor General and the Advocate General for Scotland. I do not give legal advice to the Government. I am not a Law Officer However, every member of the Government is obliged to follow the rule of law. It is very clear. I take a particular oath to uphold that and to defend the judiciary. As I have explained, I have absolutely no qualms about what has been happening. I have worked extremely hard to make sure that this House is fully involved. I say to the right hon. Gentleman that the idea that the passage of this Bill is a breach of UK domestic law is just plain wrong, and to misquote me is unhelpful, misleading and damaging, frankly.
Women Leaving Prison: Resettlement — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Housing
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): Our statistics are that 4.2% of the female prison releases were to rough sleeping and 14% were released as "other homeless", but the numbers, whatever they are, are too high. The hon. Lady rightly identifies that we are talking to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and that a spending review is coming up; Members will have heard the Lord Chancellor talking about our absolute commitment, and we will be looking at a number of things—education, employment and tackling homelessness on release.
Criminal Legal Aid — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander John Gervase Chalk (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I like the hon. Gentleman, but I am afraid he is completely wrong. This is the Government who have put money into the profession. Let me tell him one thing: under his Government, does he know how much money was paid for unused material for advocates? Not a penny piece. This is the Government who are putting money into the profession. That is the way it is going to stay.
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the most difficult decisions a Prime Minister has to take in a democracy is to restrict our freedoms for the greater good. In the measures he has announced today, which have cross-party consensus, my right hon. Friend has sought balance and proportionality, as he has said, in protecting the economy while reducing the risk of the virus spreading like wildfire However, given the six-month timeframe he has announced, what does he have to say to grandparents who want to live their lives before it is too late and who cannot see their families; to worried parents and families who cannot access a test at the moment; to workers and business owners facing financial ruin; and to MPs who want to debate these matters in Parliament before they are decided, not after, so that they can help him shoulder this onerous responsibility? How can he convince all of them that he is taking the right path, and unite our country with hope of an end to this misery?
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Other
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I do agree with that. It would be greatly to the advantage of the debate and the country for these questions to be discussed in the House in the way that I have outlined and was proposed by my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Dame Cheryl Gillan).
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend speaks eloquently for his constituents and for those who feel let down by the minority who are not obeying the rules. That is why we are outlining this programme of tough enforcement today. I will certainly ask my right hon. Friend the Chancellor to look at the fiscal measures that my hon. Friend proposes in respect of small brewers.
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Other
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman asks an excellent question. It is not an anomaly that I had hitherto been aware of, but if he would care to write to me with the details of his constituents’ concerns, I will certainly take it up.
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Tracey Elizabeth Anne Crouch (Conservative, Centre-right): Sport and physical activity contributes more than £16 billion to the UK economy. It directly employs more than 600,000 people and indirectly employs many more. It has an ecosystem that reaches beyond the pitch, field, court or pool, and its social value, which includes physical and mental wellbeing, is estimated at more than £72 billion. Right now, however, both codes of rugby, football, cricket, netball, hockey, tennis and swimming, to name but a few, are in a perilous situation because spectators cannot return and venues cannot host income-raising events such as conferences. Sport, and all that it directly and indirectly involves, cannot continue to face such losses. Given today’s announcement that pauses the return of spectators, will the Prime Minister elaborate on his comments about a financial support package to ensure that sport is not left decimated after the pandemic?
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw attention to the huge importance of sport to our national economy and our wellbeing. That is why my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is now working flat out with the Premier League and others to identify ways in which we can keep these clubs going and support sport at all levels throughout the pandemic. One of the things that we are not doing today, as my hon. Friend will appreciate, is stopping outdoor physical exercise or team sports outside. We want that to continue. That is why it is vital that we enforce the package of measures that we have outlined today.
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes; under the current procedures, it is up to the House to confirm that the Executive do have the power to continue measures under the Coronavirus Act, and that will continue to be the case. We are additionally offering—insisting—that there should be a proper debate of these issues in Parliament. There are many different opinions in Parliament, and people need to air them together.
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): What we are pursuing, with the support of the Opposition, is a policy of driving this virus down, while allowing education and our economy to continue. I hope the hon. Gentleman will lend his support to that effort as well.
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I am glad that the hon. Lady draws attention to the increase in universal credit, which is probably worth about £4,000 to the poorest families in our country. I am also proud of what we have done on the living wage. I can tell her that of course we will continue to support people across the country, but to repeat my point, the most important thing is for the economy to keep moving, for jobs to be created and for people to get back into work.
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Jason McCartney (Conservative, Centre-right): My constituency, as part of Kirklees, goes back into local restrictions today, and we have just heard about the new measures that could last up to six months, taking us through the busy Christmas period. Will the Prime Minister ask the Chancellor if he will now lay out a financial support package for hospitality, including the likes of the wedding industry, marquee companies, small breweries, freelance musicians and performers, event venues and many more, whose livelihoods will be impacted by the measures he has announced today?
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Other
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for the way he represents Blyth Valley. I can tell him that we will continue to listen to people and to respond to their concerns in any way that we can.
Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-09-22
Topic: Other
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to my hon. Friend. We will do everything we can to share the data with Parliament in real time and give colleagues the opportunity to debate and discuss the issues. I think the more that colleagues are able to look at the facts and study them, the more they will see that a balanced, proportionate approach such as the one we are taking today is the right one.