argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Technology
Tom Watson (Labour, Centre-left): I welcome the Minister to his new role, and I thank the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Layla Moran) for her forensic questioning this morning. This company, Hacker House, got a grant of £100,000. I have looked at the stated aim of the fund, and it says that it is "to increase the diversity and numbers of those working in the UK’s booming cyber security sector" and "developing a sustainable supply of home-grown cyber security talent" As I understand it, Hacker House is a company headquartered in California and the principal owners of the company live in the United States. The company claims to have employees in London, but refuses to reveal who they are or where they are It is very difficult to see how the company fulfilled the criteria for these grants, so will the Minister explain to us how Hacker House did so? Was the connection with the then Foreign Secretary, or any other MP in this House, declared when the application was made? Will all applications and paperwork relating to the Hacker House grant now be published in the Library or made available for public scrutiny? Did any MPs lobby on behalf of the company in regard to this or other grants granted by Government Departments The broader questions that the Minister has alluded to need answering, because they keep coming back to the current Prime Minister. The issue of whether he has represented the interests of the company or other companies requires scrutiny, as the Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee alluded to. This is fundamentally a question of character and of suitability. Is the Prime Minister of sufficient character to occupy high office and disburse public funds? Is he suitable? Does he understand that the trappings and privileges of power come with restrictions and restraints? Is he capable of restraining himself The truth is that our Prime Minister does reckless things. He is a man whose character renders him unsuitable and unfit for the office he holds. I want answers to these questions, but we all know the broader essential truth. We can all see who Boris Johnson is.
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Government Operations
Stella Judith Creasy (Labour, Centre-left): Many of us will have constituents who represent companies that might bid for Government funding and constituents with concerns about this place and the probity of anything that happens. It was a former Prime Minister who said that sunlight was the best disinfectant. The Minister has already said he is looking to publish the details of the bid, which might contain commercially sensitive information. If he wants to defend the Prime Minister’s reputation, why does he not save us all the freedom of information request and commit to publishing all the documentation regarding the bid, including anything his officials received? I am sure some of those trainers could show him how to do it online today if he wanted.
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Government Operations
Wesley Paul William Streeting (Labour, Centre-left): Probity and ethics seem to have gone out the window with this Government, so can the Minister assure us that the Prime Minister will co-operate fully with the Department’s inquiry and with the Greater London Assembly’s inquiry? If not, is it not only right that the Metropolitan police open an inquiry into whether there has been any misconduct in public office?
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Government Operations
Tulip Rizwana Siddiq (Labour, Centre-left): The Times revealed today that the Prime Minister previously planned to set up a £100 million fund with the owner of Hacker House. May I remind Members that, as Mayor of London, the Prime Minister oversaw the Garden Bridge project, which was the subject of allegations of corruption and was riddled with conflicts of interest? Will the Minister reassure the House that there will be no further examples of "friends with benefits" funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport or any other Department?
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Government Operations
Anna Catherine Turley (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister has said that this whole process has been rigorous, open and transparent, and he is rightly making the bid available and accessible to all MPs in the Library. However, if he is completely confident that there have been no issues with this process, and if he does indeed believe in its being open and transparent, why does he not put all correspondence relating to the bid in the Library so that we can see it, instead of hiding behind his own governmental review? Show us the evidence!
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Government Operations
Tracy Lynn Brabin (Labour, Centre-left): Last week’s open letter from the Committee on Standards in Public Life to all public office holders describes the "long-established principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership" as "a personal responsibility". Given the Prime Minister’s seeming disregard for conflicts of interest and his refusal to answer questions, does the Minister agree that he has not the character to lead this country?
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Technology
Paul Daniel Williams (Labour, Centre-left): There have been reports that the Prime Minister, when Mayor of London, had a close relationship with Jennifer Arcuri, which included receiving personal, one-to-one technology lessons from her. Can the Minister assure us that, even if no representations were made directly by the now Prime Minister, no representations were made on his behalf?
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Technology
Tom Watson (Labour, Centre-left): Earlier in our exchanges, Mr Speaker, the Minister suggested that I try to register with Hacker House. I looked at social media, and saw that many people online had tried to do that, but had received the error message "502 Bad Gateway". Can you explain why Hacker House seems to have disappeared?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Macroeconomics
Lisa Forbes (Labour, Centre-left): Following the sudden collapse of Thomas Cook, which was headquartered in Peterborough, and the loss of 1,200 jobs there, many of my constituents turned up for work only to find that their jobs were lost with Christmas fast approaching. The hon. Member for North West Cambridgeshire (Mr Vara) is absolutely correct that there has been an incredible outpouring of unity from individuals and businesses in Peterborough who have stepped up to show their support and solidarity at an extremely difficult and distressing time for so many in Peterborough Can the Secretary of State tell me what specific support the Government are giving to my constituents, who have mortgages and bills to pay and families to support, in finding alternative employment? What measures have they put in place to support the city’s economy as a whole, given the loss of so many good jobs?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Government Operations
Rachel Jane Reeves (Labour, Centre-left): The BEIS Committee believes that Thomas Cook’s directors and auditors have serious questions to answer. In the past five years, £20 million in bonuses has been paid to directors, and the company has now gone under with debts of more than £3 billion. Will the Secretary of State for Transport confirm that the directors of Thomas Cook will not be able to continue as directors at any other firm until the Insolvency Service has completed its investigation? Will the Government commit to replacing the FRC with a regulatory framework that holds directors to account, as our Committee has called for?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Macroeconomics
Lucy Maria Powell (Labour, Centre-left): With more than 3,000 Thomas Cook employees in Greater Manchester, our economy is being hit particularly hard. May I press the Secretary of State on what has been done in the past four or five months, when the warning signs were all there but people could still buy package holidays 24 or 36 hours before the collapse? Should we not be doing more when the warning signs are so clear?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Labor
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): The directors have walked away with millions while hard-working employees of Thomas Cook, such as Jemma Lynch in my constituency, who contacted me at the weekend, have lost their jobs. Will the Secretary of State outline how she and others can contact the Department for Work and Pensions for the help that has been outlined? Secondly, will he comment on the pensioners in receipt of pensions and on the future pension arrangements for those who have already paid into the pension schemes?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Transportation
Daniel Stephen Zeichner (Labour, Centre-left): Airports such as Stansted have really stepped up in terms of helping people come home, but they also offer job opportunities. Can I have an assurance from the Secretary of State that every Thomas Cook employee will be made aware of the opportunities that are available at airports such as Stansted?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Government Operations
Alison McGovern (Labour, Centre-left): I can tell the Secretary of State that my constituents are not happy with the Government’s response. However, at the heart of this problem is a company that was signed off by auditors last year. The Government know that the audit system is not working well, and they had the Kingman review look into this issue and make recommendations. In terms of the cross-Government arrangements the Secretary of State is speaking about, what have the Government done to reform audit, alongside the recommendations that they themselves asked for?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: International Affairs
Anneliese Jane Dodds (Labour, Centre-left): Yes, there are legal differences between the UK and Germany, but there is a big, big difference in political will as well. The Secretary of State keeps mentioning Air Berlin, so I have one little general knowledge question for him. The German Government loan that was provided to Air Berlin enabled its operations to be transferred in a planned manner into other companies. Has it, or has it not, been paid back?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Labor
William Roffen Esterson (Labour, Centre-left): Those of my constituents who have lost their jobs tell me that the airline was indeed profitable, so why did the Government not intervene to ensure that the airline and any other parts of the business that were profitable—along with the jobs in those businesses—could have been saved?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Labor
Christopher Shaun Ruane (Labour, Centre-left): I thank the Minister for his answers to questions about Thomas Cook workers who work abroad, but they were a little bit woolly, so let me ask him specifically: can he give a cast-iron guarantee that not one of those workers will be left stranded abroad, and that each and every one of them will be paid in full for the hours that they have worked since the company was declared bankrupt?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Labor
Justin Piers Richard Madders (Labour, Centre-left): My constituents who have lost their jobs are absolutely furious at the sight of directors waltzing off to Germany with their jobs intact, as I am sure the Secretary of State can understand. I hope that in due course the directors disqualification proceedings come in. In the meantime, people need the statutory payments due to them as soon as possible, so can he assure me that the Redundancy Payments Office is sufficiently well resourced?
Thomas Cook — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Transportation
Margaret Olivia Hillier (Labour, Centre-left): It would be helpful if the Secretary of State could set out the cost to the taxpayer of Operation Matterhorn so far and what likelihood there is, realistically, of getting money back from individual people’s travel insurance.
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: International Affairs
Hilary James Benn (Labour, Centre-left): Paragraph 18 of the Operation Yellowhammer document states that the Government’s current plans to manage the Northern Irish border after no deal—which are no new checks or tariffs on goods coming in from the Republic of Ireland—are "likely to prove unsustainable due to significant economic, legal and biosecurity risks and no effective unilateral mitigations to address this will be available." That is not a description of a worst-case scenario; it is a description of what is likely to happen because, as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster knows, Northern Ireland businesses will all face tariffs from the very first day Given that, earlier this year, the right hon. Gentleman wrote that the United Kingdom "didn’t vote to leave without a deal", are the Government really prepared to allow their willingness to pursue a no-deal Brexit to jeopardise the peace and security that have been achieved in Northern Ireland as a result of the Good Friday agreement?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Agriculture
Elizabeth Louise Kendall (Labour, Centre-left): Can the Minister confirm that according to the Government the food sector, which employs around 12,000 people across Leicester and Leicestershire, will be hardest hit by no deal, and that people on low incomes will be disproportionately affected by any rises in food prices? Have the Government done any planning on how on earth we are going to support the thousands of food banks in this country, which tell me they are desperately worried that no deal will threaten the supply of surplus food that we, tragically, now depend on to feed the poor?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Transportation
Stephen Creswell Timms (Labour, Centre-left): As the Minister knows, the Freight Transport Association says that long delays at Dover are inevitable after a no deal because hundreds of non-compliant trucks will continue to arrive. Those trucks will have lengthy inspections in a lorry park in Calais that has only 300 spaces. When the lorry park is full, the ferries will stop. On what grounds does he reject that assessment?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Energy
Adrian Edward Bailey (Labour, Centre-left): Earlier, the Minister said the Government were talking with the industry concerning the effects of EU tariffs on petrol exports. What he did not say is that the UK is proposing to have a zero tariff on petrol imports. That could result in the closure of two oil refineries, the loss of £50 million a year to the industry, the loss of 2,000 jobs and a potential loss of fuel availability. Will he be more specific and say what the Government will do about that?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Sharon Hodgson (Labour, Centre-left): In response to written questions, the Government had this to say in the event of a no-deal Brexit: "A system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans will be available for those who need them." Operation Yellowhammer warns of food and medicine shortages and soaring prices. That will drive thousands of the most vulnerable people in our society into debt—debt with loans—and despair. How will people qualify for these hardship payments and loans, and when will they be made available to them?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Macroeconomics
Eleanor Patricia Smith (Labour, Centre-left): The recent Operation Yellowhammer report notes that low-income groups will be disproportionately affected by any price rises in food and fuel. What plans have the Government put in place to offset the effect on low-income families in the event a no-deal Brexit on 31 October?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Foreign Trade
Chinyelu Susan Onwurah (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister has said that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, people will have "the food they need", raising the terrifying spectacle of him deciding what we in the north-east should be eating. What actually puts food on the tables of many people are our excellent manufacturers with their closely-integrated European supply chains. That is why Make UK has said that we stand to lose the most from a no-deal Brexit. What specific financial support is available for north-eastern manufacturers facing a no-deal Brexit?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Agriculture
Catherine Elizabeth West (Labour, Centre-left): Eighty per cent. of cheddar cheese is from dairy farms in Northern Ireland. It is manufactured in Ireland and then comes across at Holyhead into other parts of the UK. What assessment has been made of the impact on the dairy industry across Ireland and the UK? Can the Minister rule out food riots as a result of a lack of basics like cheddar?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Law and Crime
Stephen John Doughty (Labour, Centre-left): The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has clearly not complied with the terms of the resolution of 9 September, because he has not provided all the documents. My constituents listening to this statement will feel that the Government are not being clear with them about the impact on food, medicines and security. Is it true that, within the Yellowhammer documents, there are extensive plans to redeploy police from their home constabularies to London, the borders and Northern Ireland?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Agriculture
Alexander Cunningham (Labour, Centre-left): I recently visited farmers in my constituency, including Jim Cowan, to discuss the impact of Brexit on their already fragile business. They and the National Farmers Union are worried sick that farms will close down and are not convinced by the Government’s rhetoric. The Minister has said that they are mitigating the effects on farmers, but how?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Foreign Trade
Albert Owen (Labour, Centre-left): I know that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster understands the importance of my constituency and the port of Holyhead to trade to and from the Republic of Ireland. I was disappointed that, when he visited, he did not arrange to meet me. I could have given him the benefit of my experience of not just serving in this House but working in the port of Holyhead for more than a decade before coming to this place. He did not explain in a previous answer why the port of Holyhead was omitted from the Yellowhammer document. Will he please tell the House why that was the case?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Foreign Trade
Alison McGovern (Labour, Centre-left): The Minister told us that HMRC has allocated EORI numbers to 88,000 VAT-registered businesses that currently trade with the EU. However, two years ago, HMRC told the Treasury Committee that 130,000 such businesses need them. What has happened to the other 42,000?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: International Affairs
Karin Marguerite Smyth (Labour, Centre-left): Picking up on the points well made by the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon) and the Minister’s response to the hon. Member for Glenrothes (Peter Grant), I, too, appreciate that the right hon. Gentleman’s comments have been much more thoughtful than many made about Ireland from others on his Front Bench and in the rest of his party. However, his statement today was very banal. Can he specifically tell us what the Government are now doing to enhance those provisions in the Belfast/Good Friday agreement that develop a relationship based on mutual respect, recognising our mutual interest in the people of Northern Ireland? What, specifically, are the Government now doing with the Irish Government?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Agriculture
David Drew (Labour, Centre-left): With regard to the earlier exchange about veterinary medicines, which the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster knows a good deal about, it is all well and good saying he would give a guarantee if there was an emergency, but I am led to believe that two operators have already relocated to the EU. What priority will British farmers get not just in the event of an emergency but regarding the normal supply of veterinary medicines? Can he give some guarantees on that?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Agriculture
Paul John Sweeney (Labour, Centre-left): The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has obliquely conceded that fresh perishable food supplies will be adversely affected by a no-deal Brexit, but he seems to be dismissive of the idea that this could cause civil disruption. It does cause civil disruption; it has been widely observed in the UK that unexpected disruption to food supplies causes civil unrest. In my experience—and his probably—of working in a supermarket, that can happen. Carrot shortages caused by flooding resulted in the police having to split up fights over carrot supplies in supermarkets. He has to address this seriously. Will he do that? Will he also look at using the fall-back in state aid rules to ensure that businesses are properly compensated for those shortages of vital food supplies?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Foreign Trade
Catherine McKinnell (Labour, Centre-left): On 10 September, the Treasury’s official account tweeted that beer, wine, spirits and cigarettes would all be duty-free for people travelling to the EU if we left without a deal. Does the Secretary of State seriously think that promoting cheap booze and fags is a good use of public money, or does he believe that the hundreds of thousands of people whose jobs could be affected by our exiting the EU without a deal should drown their sorrows to recover from the blow?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Law and Crime
David George Hanson (Labour, Centre-left): Paragraph 10 of the document shows that law enforcement agencies and information exchange will be disrupted. Given that that covers child protection issues, drug trafficking, terrorism and international crime, what level of risk increase has the right hon. Gentleman assessed, and is that disruption worth it?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Agriculture
Christopher John Bryant (Labour, Centre-left): I wish that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster had been able to join me over a Welsh cake last week in the kitchen at Llwyncelyn Farm, where I met farmers from the Rhondda and nearby. They do not have biblical concerns—they are not worried about plagues of locusts, or anything of that kind—but they have genuine concerns about what will happen to Welsh lamb, because 35% of it is sold in the European Union at the moment, and they fear that if there is a 48% tariff on it, they will end up having to burn carcases. They are also worried that there are not enough UK and national vets in the abattoirs and elsewhere to ensure that they can continue their business into the future. We are relying on migrants from elsewhere in the EU. Will the right hon. Gentleman come to the Rhondda to meet those farmers again, just to make sure that he really has everything in place to protect them if there is a no-deal Brexit?