argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Overseas Electors Bill — House of Commons, 2019-03-22
Topic: Government Operations
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I am going to crack on. I do not think anyone could say that I have not been generous in giving way Amendments 68 to 70 are linked to other new clauses that we have already discussed. I want to mention amendments 75 and 76. Amendment 76 would delay the coming into force of the extent, commencement and short title provisions by 12 months. I want to raise that because, whatever the merits or otherwise of a general election outside the fixed-term rules, it seems to me that if a general election were to be held sooner rather than later, this Bill coming into force immediately could cause some problems. Amendments 75 and 76 would delay the implementation of the Act for two years, which would give more time to prepare for the next general election, or even the one after, if we have one before the five-year term is up We could end up with people who are eligible to vote not being able to because the systems are not in place to cope with the rush. It would be blatantly unfair on qualifying overseas voters if some of their votes counted and some did not, and if some were able to register and some were not. I think that that can happen already, to be honest, but the problem would be made much worse if we extended the franchise and brought the provisions in very quickly. We would almost certainly create a problem All in all, I am sorry that we have had such a truncated operation and that my speech has gone on far longer than I anticipated. Obviously I was agitating some Members, and I wanted to accommodate their requests, because in all seriousness, that is how legislation should be debated in this place. We end up with better legislation when we listen to everybody’s point of view. We have heard in interventions today people making some very good points that we should bear in mind and that expose some of the flaws in the amendments I have tabled. That is why it is important that we go through this scrutiny of important pieces of legislation I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire for bringing his Bill this far. I hope that the provisions of the Bill will be introduced at some point, but with the necessary improvements. I urge the Government to listen again to the arguments made in Committee by the hon. Member for City of Chester and the hon. Member for Nottingham North in particular, because if their suggestions had been taken on board, this would have been a much better piece of legislation.
Poverty: Social Security — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the adequacy of social security spending in tackling poverty throughout the UK.
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): Thanks to our welfare reforms, we have been able to get more people into work, we have the lowest unemployment rate since 1974 and more than 667,000 fewer children are living in workless households than in 2010.
Poverty: Social Security — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the adequacy of social security spending in tackling poverty throughout the UK.
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is because of our welfare reforms and economic policy that more people are now in work and are benefiting from our cuts to basic rate tax, giving working families £1,200 a year extra in their pay packets.
Poverty: Social Security — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the adequacy of social security spending in tackling poverty throughout the UK.
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I can tell the hon. Lady what would lead to greater poverty in this country: a Government who wanted to overthrow capitalism, declare business the enemy and ruin the private sector businesses that are employing people and giving them extra wages.
Poverty: Social Security — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the adequacy of social security spending in tackling poverty throughout the UK.
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): The reality is that the Scottish Government are now forecast to bring in lower rates of income tax than expected, because they have not followed through on our raising of the threshold to £50,000, so people in Scotland on £50,000 are now paying £1,500 more tax. The fact is that raising tax reduces incentives for people to get up the earnings ladder, reduces economic growth and means that we do not have the opportunities and funding for public services.
Poverty: Social Security — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the adequacy of social security spending in tackling poverty throughout the UK.
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): What the hon. Gentleman is missing is the fact that if we continue to delay Brexit, first, we would not be delivering on what British people voted for over three years ago; and secondly, there will be continued delay in our economy—a continued lack of investment—due to a lack of certainty.
Poverty: Social Security — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the adequacy of social security spending in tackling poverty throughout the UK.
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): I am incredibly proud of our record, as a Government, of reducing inequality. Income inequality is now lower than it was in 2010. We have also cut taxes for basic rate taxpayers by £1,200 a year and put an extra £630 into universal credit for working families.
Leaving the EU: Scotland — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the economic effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): I have consistently made the case and explained to this House that there is fiscal headroom within the current fiscal rules. If we have a smooth exit from the European Union through a transition that will remove the economic uncertainty that is hanging over our economy, it will then be safe to release that headroom and make it available for additional public spending or, at the choice of the next Government, to reduce taxation. Either way, we have the headroom available once we have removed the Brexit uncertainty.
Leaving the EU: Scotland — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the economic effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): Is it not the case that Scotland, like everybody else, will know the plans for future public spending, for fiscal headroom and for the economic effects overall if the comprehensive spending review were to be started sooner rather than later? Is the Chancellor able to tell the people of Scotland, the people in this House and the people beyond when the comprehensive spending review will be starting?
Leaving the EU: Scotland — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the economic effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): I announced at the spring statement that it is the Government’s intention to conduct a three-year spending review concluding this autumn, subject to a deal with the EU being completed. Departments are already commissioned to carry out the work necessary for such a spending review, but it will be for the new Government to decide whether the circumstances make it appropriate to conduct a full three-year spending review or a single-year exercise.
Leaving the EU: Scotland — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the economic effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.; Mark Carney has warned that Brexit has already cost households up to £900, with the Fraser of Allander Institute suggesting that it could cost Scotland 100,000 jobs by 2030. Given that the Chancellor was a remainer himself, will he, as a Back Bencher—I wish him well in that, incidentally—vote against any deal removing us from the single market and customs union?
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have consistently said in this House, I do not believe that a no-deal exit would be in the interests of this country, and I will do everything I can to ensure that we avoid it, but an exit based on a negotiated deal that allows us to continue a close trading relationship with the European Union can work for Britain, and that is what I will be arguing for.
Leaving the EU: Scotland — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the economic effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.; Mark Carney has warned that Brexit has already cost households up to £900, with the Fraser of Allander Institute suggesting that it could cost Scotland 100,000 jobs by 2030. Given that the Chancellor was a remainer himself, will he, as a Back Bencher—I wish him well in that, incidentally—vote against any deal removing us from the single market and customs union?
Chris Ian Brian Mynott Philp (Conservative, Centre-right): Is the Chancellor aware that only 18% of Scottish exports go to the rest of the European Union but 61% go to the rest of the United Kingdom? Is not the Union that really matters to Scotland the Union of the United Kingdom?
Leaving the EU: Scotland — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the economic effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.; Mark Carney has warned that Brexit has already cost households up to £900, with the Fraser of Allander Institute suggesting that it could cost Scotland 100,000 jobs by 2030. Given that the Chancellor was a remainer himself, will he, as a Back Bencher—I wish him well in that, incidentally—vote against any deal removing us from the single market and customs union?
Philip Hammond (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, my hon. Friend is exactly right. The Scottish economy would be far more adversely affected by a breach of trading relationships with the rest of the United Kingdom than it will by a breach in trading relationships with the European Union.
Shared Prosperity Fund — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government will establish a UK shared prosperity fund to spread prosperity and opportunity across all four nations once we have left the European Union and the EU structural funds. The fund will seek to raise productivity, focusing on levelling up parts of our country whose economies are further behind. More details will be announced following the spending review, and the Government will consult widely on the funds.
Shared Prosperity Fund — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: International Affairs
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): The people of the north-east of England voted to leave the European Union; I know that the hon. Lady takes a different view, but we are trying to deliver on the outcome of the referendum. Had she voted for the withdrawal Bill, these matters would, of course, be progressing. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor has already said, we are guaranteeing funding to the beneficiaries of all EU structural funds to 2023, so there is a degree of certainty as we move forwards. But the sooner that this House can coalesce on a good deal and that we can leave the European Union in an orderly fashion, the sooner this matter can be cleared up.
Shared Prosperity Fund — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Derek Gordon Thomas (Conservative, Centre-right): My constituency and the rest of Cornwall continues to be one of the less developed areas, even though there is much going for where we are and where we live. What would the Minister say to my county, the Duchy of Cornwall, about how soon it can expect to really contribute to the process of the shared prosperity fund?
Shared Prosperity Fund — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Michael Jon Wood (Conservative, Centre-right): Rebalancing the economy is not just about north and south or the different nations of the United Kingdom. Will the Minister ensure that the shared prosperity fund is distributed using a range of indicators, such as gross value added, the regional human poverty index and disposable income, so that areas in the west midlands in need receive their fair share?
Shared Prosperity Fund — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: there are disparities of income and productivity across the United Kingdom, and what he mentions will be one of the key objectives. But the shared prosperity fund is not our only intervention in this area: we are taking a range of measures, including significantly increasing the amount of public investment in infrastructure—to the highest levels in this country since the 1970s.
Shared Prosperity Fund — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: International Affairs
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): Clearly, it is not possible to progress this matter until we have greater certainty about our exit from the European Union. Those Members of this House who want to see this matter progressed should be voting to leave at every opportunity, as we on the Government side have done. The important thing to point out on regional disparities is that this Government are investing far more than the previous Labour Government. In fact, £430 million a week more in real terms is being invested by this Government than under the previous Labour Government on infrastructure in all parts of the UK.
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Transportation
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): With respect to the hon. Lady, she is not correct on the numbers. This Government are investing more in the north than the previous Labour Government. Over the course of this Parliament, central Government investment in transport infrastructure will be higher in the north of England than it will be in London and the south-east on a per capita basis. We have seen a 40% increase in central Government funding per person in the north under this Government.
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Transportation
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): Over the course of this Parliament and the last, this Government will have invested £13 billion in transport for the north. With respect to Northern Powerhouse Rail, which was mentioned earlier, over the last two years we have given £97 million to Transport for the North to build the business case and prepare the ground for that project. In the course of the spending review—our zero-based review—we will be considering how to take forward that project.
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Transportation
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with the hon. Gentleman, and that is why we have given funding to Transport for the North to prepare a properly thought-through business case. We of course have decisions to make in the spending review about which of those projects should be taken forward and which provide good value for money. In the hon. Gentleman’s own city and city region of Sheffield, we have of course given money through the transforming cities fund to improve inter-city connectivity for his constituents.
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Transportation
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): We have received representations from the midlands engine, and from Midlands Connect in relation to transport, about both road and rail east-west connectivity. We are considering them carefully, and they will form part of the spending review.
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): Perhaps unlike the hon. Gentleman, I am interested in any proposal that can drive economic growth in the north of England. Free ports are an interesting proposal, which we have discussed with a number of communities. We have urged them to come forward with well-thought-through business cases. We have yet to receive them from many places, but we have received one from Teesside and we will consider them carefully in future.
Loan Charge — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What estimate the Government have made of the number of promoters of loan schemes subject to the 2019 loan charge who have been convicted; and if he will make a statement.; What assessment he has made of the effect of the 2019 loan charge on people working in the (a) public and (b) private sector.
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): The loan charge tackles so-called disguised remuneration arrangements, which use loans to avoid tax. It applies in the same way to people in the public and the private sectors. A tax information and impact note published in 2016 and a report on disguised remuneration published in March 2019 both considered the impacts.
Loan Charge — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What estimate the Government have made of the number of promoters of loan schemes subject to the 2019 loan charge who have been convicted; and if he will make a statement.; What assessment he has made of the effect of the 2019 loan charge on people working in the (a) public and (b) private sector.
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. and learned Friend is absolutely right and HMRC will continue to take firm action against those who promote tax avoidance schemes. As he will know, and I think has been made public, it currently has more than 100 promoters under civil inquiry. It is important to be clear that although there are no criminal offences of promoting or marketing tax avoidance schemes specifically, HMRC may conduct criminal investigations and make referrals to prosecuting authorities where, for example, there is evidence that promoters have deliberately misrepresented the facts to it.
Loan Charge — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What estimate the Government have made of the number of promoters of loan schemes subject to the 2019 loan charge who have been convicted; and if he will make a statement.; What assessment he has made of the effect of the 2019 loan charge on people working in the (a) public and (b) private sector.
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is right that there is stress, but he should also be clear that a large number of people have been systematically using those means to avoid paying tax, and the potential amount payable is more than £3 billion. He should be protective of the tax base more widely when he reflects on those matters. He is right that HMRC is taking careful steps to ensure that it protects and supports those who may be in genuine difficulty, and those who have other personal concerns can of course be referred to outside agencies.
Loan Charge — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What estimate the Government have made of the number of promoters of loan schemes subject to the 2019 loan charge who have been convicted; and if he will make a statement.; What assessment he has made of the effect of the 2019 loan charge on people working in the (a) public and (b) private sector.
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that my right hon. Friend misstates the case. A disclosure of tax avoidance number was associated with a large number of those cases. The people knew that they were in schemes that were potentially suspect. Every person is responsible for signing off their own tax return. I trust that my right hon. Friend will be reassured by the fact that recently six individuals were arrested on suspicion of promoting fraudulent loan charge arrangements. That speaks to a wider picture.
Loan Charge — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What estimate the Government have made of the number of promoters of loan schemes subject to the 2019 loan charge who have been convicted; and if he will make a statement.; What assessment he has made of the effect of the 2019 loan charge on people working in the (a) public and (b) private sector.; Economic crime defrauds the Exchequer of countless billions in revenue. Two and a half years ago, the Ministry of Justice launched a call for evidence on corporate liability for that. Incredibly, as of this morning, it says it is still analysing the evidence that it received. Clearly, cracking the problem is critical to the Treasury’s funding public services. What are Treasury Ministers doing to wake their colleagues up?
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): I can only admire the ingenuity of a man who can crowbar in a question about the Ministry of Justice, unrelated to the loan charge, into this issue. Let me point out to the hon. Gentleman that regardless of what may be the case on that, HMRC is taking tens of billions of pounds, relating to avoidance and evasion matters, that are due. He should be very grateful and delighted about that.
Loan Charge — House of Commons, 2019-07-02
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: What estimate the Government have made of the number of promoters of loan schemes subject to the 2019 loan charge who have been convicted; and if he will make a statement.; What assessment he has made of the effect of the 2019 loan charge on people working in the (a) public and (b) private sector.; Economic crime defrauds the Exchequer of countless billions in revenue. Two and a half years ago, the Ministry of Justice launched a call for evidence on corporate liability for that. Incredibly, as of this morning, it says it is still analysing the evidence that it received. Clearly, cracking the problem is critical to the Treasury’s funding public services. What are Treasury Ministers doing to wake their colleagues up?
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): May I put on record my surprise that a former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, with its concern for the public finances, should take that view? Some people may have been very adversely affected in mental health terms and we must protect them at all times using all proper measures. HMRC is attempting to do that. However, there is a much larger number of people who are simply seeking to avoid paying tax due.