argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
House of Commons Commission Bill — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Government Operations
Alan Haselhurst (Conservative, Centre-right): You are very kind, Madam Deputy Speaker I join in complimenting the right hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr Straw), my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House, and the shadow Deputy Leader of the House on co-operating with colleagues to ensure, first, that there was a good report, and then that it was brought forward so swiftly. In the last four and a half years, I have identified weaknesses and inconsistencies in the management of the business side of the House, which the strengthened Commission will help to overcome. I have detected great weaknesses in the connection between the decisions made by the Commission and the political parties in the House, and also weakness in communication between Members of the House as a whole. The way that the Committee has recommended that the Commission be composed in the future addresses all those weaknesses, and enables us to have a more coherent system of management, which I hope will be more easily explained to a very diverse audience in the House, not just among Members but among the other important people who have passes in the House and who serve us in various ways. We may look forward with some confidence to the implementation of the plan that has been presented to the House, and I have every confidence in it.
House of Commons Commission Bill — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Government Operations
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the hon. Gentleman think that the finance commissioner, for example, should be elected by the whole House, even if he is not saying that the commissioners without portfolio should be elected by the whole House?
House of Commons Commission Bill — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Government Operations
William Hague (Conservative, Centre-right): I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time This has throughout been a matter for the House. The role of the Government has been to facilitate and support the House in reaching a decision and in making these changes. The House has demonstrated its support for the recommendations of the Governance Committee implemented by this Bill. The Bill is one strand—an important strand—of the package of measures that is currently being taken forward by the Commission and the House. I am sure that this package overall will help to bring the governance arrangements of the House up to date and deliver improvements for Members, staff and the public Once again, I thank everyone who has contributed to this work and strongly support it as Leader of the House. I commend the Bill to the House for its Third Reading.
Queen’s and Prince of Wales’s Consent — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Government Operations
Charles Ashley Rupert Walker (Conservative, Centre-right): I beg to move, That this House approves the recommendations of the Procedure Committee in its Fourth Report of Session 2014-15, on Queen’s and Prince of Wales’s consent (HC 871), and accordingly: (a) endorses the practice of not requiring consent to be re-signified when a bill has been carried over from one session to the next; (b) orders that, where it is required, Queen’s and/or Prince of Wales’s consent be signified at third reading, whatever the nature and extent of the prerogatives or interests engaged; and (c) endorses the practice of noting the need for consent in relation to a particular bill by including a note on the Future Business section of the order paper that consent is to be signified on third reading as soon as this requirement is known In its report on "The impact of Queen’s and Prince’s Consent on the legislative process", published in March 2014, the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee made several proposals to change the process for obtaining and signifying consent to Bills before Parliament. The Procedure Committee agrees that consent should not be re-signified when a Bill has been carried over from one Session to the next, and we recommend that the House should formally endorse that practice In a departure from the recommendations made by the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, the Procedure Committee suggests that consent should continue to be given by a Privy Counsellor, as we have seen no evidence that any Bill has been delayed by the fact that a Privy Counsellor was not present. The Committee’s view is that continuing the current signification process is more open and transparent Currently, consent can be signified either on Second Reading or on Third Reading, depending on the extent or nature of the way in which the prerogatives or interests of the Queen or Prince of Wales are affected. However, even when consent has been signified on Second Reading, amendments at subsequent stages can require consent to be re-sought and re-signified on Third Reading. We therefore share the concerns of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee that the signifying of consent at different legislative stages can add confusion to the legislative process On 30 October, the other place agreed that, where necessary, whatever the nature or extent of the interests or prerogatives engaged, consent by the Queen or Prince of Wales should be signified in that House on Third Reading. Following the decision of the other place and the recommendations of our colleagues on the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, we recommend that, where it is required, consent should be signified on Third Reading, whatever the nature and extent of the prerogatives or interests engaged We recommend that the House should formally endorse the practice of noting the need for consent in relation to a Bill by including a note in the future business section of the Order Paper that consent is to be signified on Third Reading, as soon as this requirement is known.
Mental Health and Unemployment — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Government Operations
Robert Alexander Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): Leadership in companies is crucially important, as are management and caring about colleagues. We sometimes forget about such things as care for people and leadership, but they should be inculcated in all our companies and other organisations.
Mental Health and Unemployment — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Labor
James Morris (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that there should be scope for the use of individual placement and support for those with serious mental health issues? I know the Government have been piloting some individual placement and support programmes. I would be interested to hear from the Minister whether they are proving to be successful in getting people with severe mental health problems back into work.
Mental Health and Unemployment — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Labor
Charles Ashley Rupert Walker (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend makes a very good point, and I will conclude my speech by answering it. Most companies like to talk about the importance they place on human capital, but I suspect that very few do it very well. That is why I think it is so important for good employers to stand up and say, "This is what we are doing and it can be audited, so you can prove for yourselves that we are doing what it says on the tin." I am not into naming and shaming companies, or coercion—that is the wrong way to go—but there has to be a premium and a reward placed on good practice. I join my hon. Friend the Member for North Durham in saying to Government that we need to give that some thought. We do not want to come up with a stick; we want to come up with carrots so that good employers are celebrated, and celebrated loudly.
Mental Health and Unemployment — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Labor
Mark James Harper (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman anticipates my remarks, because I had not yet got to that point. There are two points that arise from what he said, and he was supported in that by the shadow Minister. The first relates to the ability of smaller private sector companies and the voluntary sector to be subcontractors to prime providers, and we will consider how to make that easier as we look to develop what follows the Work programme. The second point—the central one—is about ensuring that Work programme providers are paid only when they have done the work. He raised a specific concern about a third sector organisation in his constituency. If he can give me a little more detail, I will look into it. If a Work programme provider has done nothing at all, it should not pretend that it has done so in order to claim a payment. Either it should not be paid, or it should effectively be subcontracting with the smaller provider. If the smaller provider is very successful, clearly we would want it in the programme, working with the prime provider. If he gives me some more details, I will absolutely task officials with looking into it. It is not very sensible for the taxpayer to be paying someone for work they have not done. Moreover, we should be making sure that the money goes to support those who are successful at getting people back into work so that they can improve their organisations and become more successful and sustainable.
Delegated Legislation — House of Commons, 2015-02-24
Topic: Government Operations
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): With the leave of the House, we shall take motions 10 and 11 together Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), Companies That the draft Companies Act 2006 (Amendment of Part 18) Regulations 2015, which were laid before this House on 13 January, be approved That the draft Companies Act 2006 (Amendment of Part 17) Regulations 2015, which were laid before this House on 16 January, be approved.—(Mel Stride.) Question agreed to. Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), Senior Courts of England and Wales That the draft Civil Proceedings and Family Proceedings Fees (Amendment) Order 2015, which was laid before this House on 19 January, be approved.—(Mel Stride.) Question agreed to. Motion made, and Question put forthwith (Standing Order No. 118(6)), Environmental Protection That the draft Anti-social Behaviour (Authorised Persons) Order 2015, which was laid before this House on 14 January, be approved.—(Mel Stride.) Question agreed to.
Disabled People’s Access (Public Transport) — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Claire Louise Perry (Conservative, Centre-right): The Department for Transport’s 2015 annual progress report on promoting accessibility for disabled people on public transport has just been published, and it demonstrates good progress in achieving an inclusive transport system. The Government remain firmly committed to improving disabled people’s access to all public transport services.
Disabled People’s Access (Public Transport) — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Claire Louise Perry (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady will be pleased to know that 83% of buses operating in the UK now meet legal accessibility requirements, and that will rise to almost 100% by the end of next year. She is right to focus on talking buses—something that she and I have worked on with the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association—but we have been advised that the cost of rolling that out across the country is prohibitively high. However, another way—I am sure that she, as a highly experienced digital expert, will approve of this—is to make all data on public transport open-sourced so that applications such as the Next Stop app, which is being trialled in Leeds, can be rolled out. That would give a much more personalised service to disabled people accessing public transport.
Disabled People’s Access (Public Transport) — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
James Whiteside Gray (Conservative, Centre-right): We all strongly support proper access to public transport for disabled people, which is absolutely essential. As the Minister represents a rural area, as I do, does she agree that some bus companies simply cannot afford to provide that? One way forward must be through dial-a-ride services, such as the one offered by Bradies taxis in Malmesbury, which I launched last Saturday, whereby elderly and disabled people in particular can ring up and find small buses to take them where they want to go.
Road Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): The road investment strategy, published in December 2014, set out ambitious plans for £15.2 billion of investment in the strategic road network between 2015 and 2021. The Department created a new Government-owned company, Highways England, to focus on delivering this plan. Highways England published its delivery plan in March this year, setting out next steps for the schemes starting construction or completing by the end of March 2020.
Road Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): I most certainly can. As part of the road investment strategy, the A1M between junctions 6 and 8—the Welwyn to Stevenage stretch—will become a smart motorway. I cannot provide an exact start date for construction, but the next step is the detailed design and planning of the scheme, plus consultation with the local community to produce the best possible scheme. That work will be taken forward by Highways England. My hon. Friend has long been a keen champion of this scheme, and I will make sure that he is kept fully informed of progress.
Road Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Stephen James Metcalfe (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the things my hon. Friend and I agree on is the need for additional Thames crossings, but we potentially disagree about the location. Will he confirm that, before any final decisions are taken, he will fully evaluate the effect of free-flow tolling on the current Dartford crossing? Will he also look at whether what is currently proposed answers the question that was posed more than a decade ago?
Road Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): It is rare, and always a matter of regret, if I ever have any disagreement with my hon. Friend. There is no doubt that a new crossing is needed. There are encouraging signs that the Dart charge is already bringing some relief to congestion in the area, and I can assure him that its impact will be evaluated and monitored carefully. However, I have major reservations about the suggestion to look again at all the schemes, as I do not want to delay progress. It has taken 10 years to reach this point, and we do not want to blight any more homes. Highways England is developing options for both possible locations and will take those to a public consultation scheduled for late this year or early next. I will be happy to discuss the matter further with my hon. Friend.
Road Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): I will have monitoring meetings with Highways England every month for the remainder of the time in which it delivers our plan. I want to make sure that it is on top of this and delivering it. The Government’s ambition for the road investment strategy is significant, with £15 billion of investment, 127 schemes and 1,300 additional lane miles. It is a significant step change for our strategic road network. Its delivery is critical, and it is one of the top things that I will focus on. I will also focus on a method of communication from Highways England and me to all colleagues.
Road Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Martin John Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): Before the election, the hon. Member for Scunthorpe (Nic Dakin) and I had a very useful meeting with the previous Roads Minister in connection with the A15, which provides access to the Humber ports. Although this is a local authority road, some involvement with the Department will be necessary. Will the new Minister meet me and all the agencies involved at an early date?
Road Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): The A15 is a local road and this will be a local decision. I know that a business case is being developed. I will be happy to meet my hon. Friend and local organisations such as the council or the local enterprise partnership. The key thing is to make the business case as robust as possible, and I will certainly help him to deliver that.
Road Investment Strategy — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not personally familiar with the slip roads as the hon. Gentleman describes them, but I will be happy to take this issue forward. If he would like to contact me with any of his concerns, I will happily take them up with Highways England and then get back to him with an answer.
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): We are currently undertaking a very significant level of activity to prepare for construction of phase 1. Preparations include growing HS2 Ltd’s capability by bringing in senior teams with extensive experience of major rail and infrastructure programmes; commencing ground investigation works; progressing the procurement of contractors to undertake £750 million-worth of enabling works; and preparing to commence procurement of contractors for the main civil works this autumn.
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Margaret Ann Throup (Conservative, Centre-right): As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be aware, many Erewash residents continue to live with the uncertainty of the location of the east midlands HS2 hub. Will he press HS2 Ltd for a final decision on the hub’s location?
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): May I welcome my hon. Friend and congratulate her on the fantastic result she secured in the general election No decision on the phase 2 route and station locations has yet been made. The Government intend to announce a way forward on phase 2 later this year. I certainly appreciate the uncertainty for those people around the route that is being talked about, but it is absolutely essential that we get the best possible connectivity to serve the whole of the east midlands. I think that we are all concerned to do that, but I certainly understand the concerns raised by my hon. Friend.
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): Let us take one step at a time. As I have said, we have not yet confirmed the route. Once it has been confirmed, that preparation work will be undertaken. A separate Bill is being considered to deal with another stage to phase 2—phase 2A—which would go from Handsacre to Crewe.
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Simon Hugh McGuigan Burns (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend accept that progress on the preparations for the construction of HS2 has been delayed because of the antiquated Victorian processes to get permissions to build a major project of this nature? What are the Government’s proposals to modernise and improve the procedures?
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his helpful question. It is right that we address people’s concerns, and I think that we are making the progress that was set out when HS2 was first promoted by the previous Government. The Bill before the House is making good progress.
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): I note that Mr Brown said in another Parliament that he had not met me, but I have spoken to him on the phone on a number of occasions and am more than happy to arrange a meeting with him. It is very important that Scotland gets the benefit of HS2 from day one, and it will. Trains will continue to run on conventional lines once they come off the high-speed lines.
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan (Conservative, Centre-right): The Select Committee on HS2 will shortly visit the Chilterns area of outstanding natural beauty, to see the stunning national jewel we are all trying to protect by getting extra tunnelling for the railway. May I invite the Secretary of State to visit the Chilterns with me—I know that he has visited on many previous occasions—to look at the AONB and to see why the tunnelling is essential to keep our manifesto pledges to "build new infrastructure in an environmentally-sensitive way" and to "maintain national protections" for AONBs?
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Government Operations
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): There is great demand from Leeds, Sheffield and other areas in the north for an accelerated programme, which I understand. It is right that we go through all the proper procedures. I am very pleased that all the attempts to judicially review the Department have been unsuccessful save for one, which was on a very specific item. It is right that we act properly within the rules and the law to enable those developments to take place, but David Higgins is certainly looking at that, and I very much support him in that objective.
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Michael Louis David Fabricant (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend will know that the upgrade works to Birmingham New Street station are running more than a year overdue. What assurance can he give me that construction work on HS2 will not suffer a similar fate, causing disruption not only to my constituents in Lichfield, but to those of Mr Speaker in Buckingham?
High Speed 2 — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): How to curry favour, Mr Speaker My hon. Friend is right that there has been some overrun at Birmingham New Street station. There are occasions when big infrastructure projects overrun and do not come in on budget, but I point out to him the many projects that get done on time and well within budget. Crossrail is a fantastic tribute to engineering in this country, and it is on time and on budget. We are getting better at delivering such very big projects.
Aircraft Noise (Gatwick) — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Transportation
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government recognise that noise is the primary concern of local communities near airports. Aircraft noise has reduced significantly over the last few decades and the Government remain committed to working with Gatwick airport, the Civil Aviation Authority, NATS, UK airlines and the Gatwick consultative committee, which includes community representatives, to reduce and mitigate aircraft noise.
Aircraft Noise (Gatwick) — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Environment
Thomas Georg John Tugendhat (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the comments of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, but add that my constituents are still suffering from the current airspace strategy. Will he confirm that environmental mitigation will continue to be part of the consideration in the implementation of airspace strategy?
Aircraft Noise (Gatwick) — House of Commons, 2015-06-11
Topic: Environment
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): In welcoming my hon. Friend to the House, I assure him that mitigating the aviation industry’s effect on the environment has been and remains a key factor of aviation strategy. We need to strike a fair balance in our policy between the negative environmental impacts of aviation and the positive economic and consumer benefits that the industry provides.