argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Permitted Development and Shale Gas Exploration — House of Commons, 2019-03-28
Topic: Housing
Clive James Charles Betts (Labour, Centre-left): I am pleased to follow the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton (Kevin Hollinrake), my fellow member of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee. Our Committee produced a report that focused not on whether fracking was good or bad per se, but on whether the planning guidance was right, and whether local communities had any real say and could address the impact of fracking through the planning system. As the hon. Gentleman said, we concluded that proposals on NSIP and permitted development were totally wrong. They are completely contrary to the localism agenda that the Government set out in the Localism Act 2011. During the Bill’s passage, the then Secretary of State talked of "a ground-breaking shift in power to councils and communities" It appears from these proposals that that has gone into reverse In coming out against the proposal on permitted development, the Committee said that because of "the contentious nature of fracking"— which has already been demonstrated by a number of speakers—and the impact on local communities, those communities "should be able to have a say in whether this type of development takes place". That, I think, is fundamental. Communities should not be excluded from the process It was very different when the Government introduced planning regulations on onshore wind. They said then that in order for a proposal to go ahead, it must be demonstrated that the planning impacts identified by affected local communities had been fully addressed and that the proposal therefore had their backing. So communities can veto proposals on onshore wind, but they can have no say in exploratory applications for the purpose of fracking As for NSIP, when we asked, "Why do the Government want to make these changes?", the only answer that we received was, "Councils are probably delaying the consideration of applications." We had plenty of evidence to show that that was not true, and that NSIP would not speed up the process at all. Indeed, we heard from Lancashire, where there had been complaints about the process taking a long time, that regulation 22 had had to be used four times, and the consultation had had to be paused and then started again because of extra information that the applicant had had to provide in response to questions from the public. There was no deliberate delay on the council’s part; the delay was part of the proper consultation and consideration The Minister took up his role after the consultation had started, and he never looks very comfortable when this matter is being discussed. I suspect that he is coming at it with a new eye; I hope that that is the case. I ask him to listen and to take account of the weight of opinion across the House, among his hon. Friends as well as Labour Members, and to conclude that whatever the merits of fracking per se, these two proposals are a row-back from the localism and the democratic agenda that we ought to be pursuing but are abandoning now.
Sittings of the House (29 March) — House of Commons, 2019-03-28
Topic: Other
Ian Murray (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I appreciate that the Leader of the House has given us the business for tomorrow—it is helpful not only that she has read out the motion, but that it has now been circulated—but has there been any indication whether the Attorney General’s legal advice on whether what the Government are doing tomorrow is actually legal could be placed in the House of Commons Library or published for Members before the debate starts at 9.30 am tomorrow?
Sittings of the House (29 March) — House of Commons, 2019-03-28
Topic: Other
Kevin Denis Brennan (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Government now having tabled the motion for tomorrow, is it possible that you could give us an indication at this time—I realise that this session could proceed until any hour—as to how you intend to treat possible amendments and any time limit for the submission of amendments, including manuscript amendment?
Sittings of the House (29 March) — House of Commons, 2019-03-28
Topic: Other
Stephen John Doughty (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. This is being done late in the day, and many Members are just getting news of this provision, as they have been involved in meetings and other parliamentary proceedings. Will you ensure that this information is widely disseminated and that the Library provides some independent advice? This looks to me like trickery of the highest order. Can we ensure that all Members are fully briefed and fully understand what is going on here, and what the Government are trying to do?
Sittings of the House (29 March) — House of Commons, 2019-03-28
Topic: Other
George Edward Howarth (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. In view of the question raised by my right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn) a few moments ago and either the Attorney General’s unwillingness or inability to respond to him, would it be in order for my right hon. Friend or somebody else to put in an urgent question to be answered tonight so that we can get a proper answer to what are very important questions?
Sittings of the House (29 March) — House of Commons, 2019-03-28
Topic: Other
Valerie Carol Marian Vaz (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am really sorry, but I am not happy with that. The hon. Lady called me a liar. She effectively said—[Interruption.] Let me just explain. I am in front of the Attorney General. I can get an affidavit or a written statement from the very nice person in the Table Office. I went in at 10 to 5 and I asked for a copy of the motion. I walked round to your office, Mr Speaker, to ask for a copy, and I have not received it. So I think that the hon. Lady does owe me an apology.
Housing — House of Commons, 2019-03-28
Topic: Housing
Anna Rhiannon McMorrin (Labour, Centre-left): Does the hon. Gentleman agree that house builders need to be looking at the cost of living in a property over the time that residents would own that property and meeting carbon reduction or zero-carbon targets, so that when the house is sold the cost of living in that house has changed?
Housing — House of Commons, 2019-03-28
Topic: Housing
Anna Rhiannon McMorrin (Labour, Centre-left): Does the hon. Gentleman agree, though, that we need to change our building regulations in England, and also in Wales, where this is devolved, to make sure that housing is built to low-carbon or zero-carbon standards to ensure that this happens across the board? We have house builders that are really taking advantage by putting up houses that come at a ridiculous cost to our climate.
Midland Main Line Franchise — House of Commons, 2019-05-02
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: Where the trains for the new franchise for midland main line will be made; and what the timetable is for the delivery of those trains.
Barry John Sheerman (Labour, Centre-left): As the Secretary of State knows, we are a great manufacturing nation with the finest technology. Surely, after last night’s night’s wonderful decision on climate change, we should think about how we can make more things in this country, without cheating the public. The Hitachi trains will not be made here, although they will be assembled here. When can we revive the train manufacturing sector in this country?
Rail Punctuality — House of Commons, 2019-05-02
Topic: Housing
Rupa Asha Huq (Labour, Centre-left): I think this a bit tangential to punctuality, Mr Speaker, but I might try to get it in. [Hon. Members: "Give it a shot."] Will the Secretary of State honour the pledge he made to me on 17 July 2017? I realise that that is not a punctual request, but now is the time. I asked him about the mutual mistrust between NW10 residents and HS2, and he said that his door would always be open. Now that construction has started, they feel as though they are living in a war zone, a dustbowl and the longest and largest building site in Europe. So will he make a visit or sit down with me and my constituents to sort this out?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2019-05-02
Topic: Housing
Questions: The new east midlands train franchise is likely to increase capacity southwards from Kettering, but will it improve connectivity north on the midland main line? The previous Labour Government cut our half-hourly service northwards and it is about time that we had it back.; Train commuters faced 35,000 cancellations last year owing to driver shortages. That is purely because train operators are running the service on the cheap. What will the Government do about that?
James Ian Mearns (Labour, Centre-left): Ministers will have seen the National Audit Office report on the sale of railway arches by Network Rail, which includes some criticism. It is of some concern that the impact on tenants was not an explicit sale objective and was considered only late in the sale process. Ministers were aware—we had meetings with the Minister responsible before the sale took place—but they seemed indifferent to the significant potential for massive rent rises for the businesses in the railway arches across the country. Given this NAO report and its criticism, what will Ministers now do to safeguard the interests of those businesses and to make sure that they are not subjected to massive rent rises by the new leaseholder management company?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2019-05-02
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: The new east midlands train franchise is likely to increase capacity southwards from Kettering, but will it improve connectivity north on the midland main line? The previous Labour Government cut our half-hourly service northwards and it is about time that we had it back.; Train commuters faced 35,000 cancellations last year owing to driver shortages. That is purely because train operators are running the service on the cheap. What will the Government do about that?
David George Hanson (Labour, Centre-left): Holywell Town Council, in conjunction with Tesco, has recently put in place the first electronic vehicle charging point in a town centre in my constituency. I know the Minister will agree that the Government need to do more, so will he give an update on what progress has been made since the fanfare announcement last July of support for electronic charging points? How many have been introduced as a result of a Government initiative?
National Security Council Leak — House of Commons, 2019-05-02
Topic: Mixed Topics
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): The hon. Member for Glasgow South (Stewart Malcolm McDonald) asked the Minister a very direct question: whether he thought that the Official Secrets Act had been broken. In reply, the Minister said that it was for others to decide. Has the Attorney General been asked for his opinion? Was any other legal advice sought by the Prime Minister in coming to her conclusion?
No-Deal Brexit: Cross-channel Freight — House of Commons, 2019-05-02
Topic: Mixed Topics
Paul John Sweeney (Labour, Centre-left): The Secretary of State calls it an insurance policy, but I do not know what part of an insurance policy involves paying £33 million in an out-of-court settlement to a company because of his own incompetence. That is not really a viable and prudent form of insurance policy. Is not the reality that the Government were never going to have no-deal in the first place, and that this has been the mother of all smokescreens by the Government to raise the stakes in effectively playing poker with taxpayers’ money? It is a flagrant misuse of public funds, and he should at least have the grace to admit that.
World Immunisation Week — House of Commons, 2019-05-02
Topic: Mixed Topics
Christopher Philip James Elmore (Labour, Centre-left): Does my hon. Friend agree that the Government’s recently published online harms consultation needs to include the beefing up of this, and that Facebook and others must be held responsible if they allow such anti-immunisation scare stories to be included on their platforms, because, as we are seeing in America, this is risking and costing lives?
Living Wage — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Emma Ann Hardy (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Minister for his answer. I hope he is aware that I have previously raised in the House the problems relating to procurement and ensuring that every subcontractor adheres to the same rules as the people directly employed by the Department. Will the Minister ensure that subcontractors also pay all their staff the real living wage?
Leaving the EU: Departmental Priorities — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Richard Burgon (Labour, Centre-left): The Tories’ disastrous handling of Brexit poses a serious threat to our economy and to our rights, and a real threat to our justice and security too. Any loss of access to the European arrest warrant or to European criminal records databases would damage our justice system, yet we have nothing but warm words from the Government on future justice co-operation. I was recently in Brussels discussing this with European partners, and it is obvious that the Government have failed to give this matter the priority it so urgently deserves. So what guarantees can the Secretary of State give today that his Government’s approach to Brexit will not leave our citizens less safe and will not let criminals off the hook?
Withdrawal Agreement: Legal Opinion — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Immigration
Stella Judith Creasy (Labour, Centre-left): In layman’s and laywoman’s terms, nothing has changed but something has been added: a year to get the timescale right, and if the Government cannot do that, they are going to try really hard for the next year. It is not possible to unilaterally stop a hard border, but it is possible for the Attorney General single-handedly to admit that all he has done today is amplify, not amend, the original deal that Parliament voted down. To say anything else really is a matter of bad faith.
Withdrawal Agreement: Legal Opinion — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Stephen John Doughty (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Attorney General for his candour and for sticking to his integrity in the advice he has provided, which very much lines up with Lord Anderson’s advice that the backstop may accordingly "endure indefinitely". Lord Anderson also says that the interpretive declaration is not a "clearly worded, legally binding, ‘treaty-level’ clause which unambiguously" overrides the text. The Attorney General has said repeatedly throughout this process that this is about politics, not law, so will he tell us whether at any point over the weekend he offered the Prime Minister preliminary advice that she would not be getting the advice she wanted for the politics of today?
Withdrawal Agreement: Legal Opinion — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Other
Christopher John Bryant (Labour, Centre-left): The Attorney General’s argument seems to hinge on this matter of "highly unlikely". I do not know whether this is his reading of recent history, but it seems to me that everything that I thought was highly unlikely five, six or seven years ago has now come to pass. Should we not be worrying about what may be likely over the next few years? After all, many of the Governments in Europe may change and the European Commission President will certainly change, so the highly unlikely may indeed come to pass. I have a sneaking memory of a conversation that the Attorney General and I had once in the Lobby, around three years ago. I asked him, "Wouldn’t it be a good idea if you should become Attorney General?", and he said, "Oh no, that’s highly unlikely." [Laughter.]
Withdrawal Agreement: Legal Opinion — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Immigration
Peter John Kyle (Labour, Centre-left): The Attorney General said that it is highly unlikely that through the best endeavours they cannot reach an agreement. For the past four months, the Government have been in Brussels trying to replace the backstop with alternative measures and they have come back empty-handed. The negotiations have not delivered, despite the best endeavours. Is it not the case that the very situation that he describes in two years’ time as being highly unlikely is the situation we are in right now?
Withdrawal Agreement: Legal Opinion — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Immigration
Helen Catherine Goodman (Labour, Centre-left): I hope that the Attorney General can respond to me today without any reference to either his underwear or his genitalia. Last week, he said that we seek "legally-binding changes to the backstop which ensure that it cannot be indefinite" Today, he says that the legal risk remains unchanged. All he is able to offer us is a new work schedule—a sort of glorified to do list. If, as he keeps saying, time is of the essence, has not the Prime Minister wasted the last two months?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The Labour party has put forward very clear proposals. I shall come to them later in the speech, but, for the avoidance of doubt, they are about a customs union, access to the market, and the protection of rights. We have put those proposals forward, and we continue to put them forward. What the British people are not looking forward to is either the chaos of leaving with no agreement or the problems that are involved in this agreement, which will therefore be strongly opposed by Members tonight.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): I spend a great deal of time listening to people: people working on the shop floor in factories, people in small businesses, people who are worried about the future of their families. They want some degree of certainty. The Prime Minister’s deal does not offer that degree of certainty at all, as she knows very well. Our proposals are a basis for agreement, and a basis for negotiation.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Immigration
Paul John Sweeney (Labour, Centre-left): My right hon. Friend is making a powerful point about the absurdity of the idea that there could be a unilateral exist from the backstop. That would destroy the very function of the backstop. Has not the Prime Minister committed a major strategic blunder for our country by pandering to the European Research Group instead of reaching across the House to build consensus?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Chinyelu Susan Onwurah (Labour, Centre-left): Does my right hon. Friend agree that the critical issue here is that the Conservative party cannot countenance a trading arrangement that puts both Northern Ireland and Ireland and the European Union in the same trading arrangements, so whether it is today or next week or the end of this month or May or at any time, that party opposite cannot bring forward a Brexit that people can agree on?
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Other
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): I was grateful for the support of the right hon. and learned Gentleman in the last Division that we had on this subject. Indeed, we had a very pleasant chat during that vote. I was pointing out that the Prime Minister had set herself a series of objectives and that she had not met any of them. She has brought back exactly the same deal and expects us to vote on it again. I hope that the House rejects it.
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Immigration
Hilary James Benn (Labour, Centre-left): I am happy to confirm that I have heard my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Keir Starmer) say that he does not have a problem with the backstop. I do not have a problem with the backstop, because it is an essential insurance policy to protect the integrity of the Good Friday agreement and trade across that border. All that I would say about the alternative arrangements is that all those provisions are already in the withdrawal agreement that the Prime Minister signed up to in November. All that we have had added today is interpretation of what already existed—
European Union (Withdrawal) Act — House of Commons, 2019-03-12
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gareth Craig Snell (Labour, Centre-left): As the right hon. Lady is talking about voting to make constituents poorer, she may want to remember her time on the Government Benches as a Tory MP, when my constituents suffered at the hands of decisions she supported.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2019-06-19
Topic: Mixed Topics
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): Today does mark two years since the terrorist attack on Muslim people in Finsbury Park outside the mosque, and the murder of my constituent Makram Ali. With the far right on the rise both in our country and across the world, we can all send a message to all those who seek to sow hatred and division in our society that we will not be divided. Our diversity is our strength, and I believe it always will be I concur with the Prime Minister about the need to support people who have suffered as a result of the floods over the weekend, and about the work of the emergency services in helping them On Friday, I was honoured to join Grenfell residents and survivors to mark the two-year anniversary of that terrible tragedy. With great dignity, they are campaigning for justice and change. Across this House, we have a duty to ensure that such fires can never happen again. That is why I have signed up—I hope the Prime Minister will do so as well—to the "Never Again" campaign, which is run by the Fire Brigades Union with the support of the Daily Mirror. Three days after the Grenfell fire, the Prime Minister said: "My Government will do whatever it takes to help those affected, get justice and keep our people safe." So two years on, why do 328 high-rise buildings—homes to thousands of people from Newham to Newcastle—still have the same Grenfell-style cladding?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2019-06-19
Topic: Housing
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): Obviously, the inquiry must go on and we await its response to what actually happened at Grenfell, but the answer that the Prime Minister gave is of no comfort to the 60,000 people living in high-rise tower blocks across the country. They are worried—their communities are worried Although Government funding is, of course, necessary and welcome, but not yet available, more than 70 block owners still have no plan in place to get the work done. Will the Prime Minister set a deadline of the end of this year for all dangerous cladding to be removed and replaced? Will she toughen up the powers for councils to levy big fines and, where necessary, to confiscate blocks to get this vital safety work done if the block owners simply fail to do it?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2019-06-19
Topic: Housing
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (Labour, Centre-left): The question was: will the Prime Minister ensure that this is done by the end of this year? Under the current rate of progress, it will take three years for even the social housing blocks to be done But the issue goes wider: 1,700 other buildings, including hospitals, care homes, schools and hotels, are clad in other potentially combustible materials. If landlords will not act, will the Government step in and act on those buildings as well? The 2013 coroner’s report into the deadly Lakanal House fire recommended that sprinklers should be retrofitted to all social housing. Currently, only 32 of 837 council tower blocks of above 30 metres have sprinklers. Two years after Grenfell and six years after that coroner’s report, will the Prime Minister now accept that recommendation and set a deadline for all high-rise blocks to have sprinklers retrofitted?