argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Horizon: Sub-Postmaster Convictions — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): Happy Birthday, Mr Speaker. I have listened to a number of postmasters’ stories personally, and I saw the recent "Panorama" programme. It is impossible to ignore the negative impact that the Horizon dispute and court case have had on affected postmasters’ lives, livelihoods, financial situations, reputations and, for some, as we know, their physical and mental health Convicted claimants’ seeking to overturn their convictions are going through a further process with the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has the power to refer cases to the Court of Appeal to consider whether any of the convictions are unsafe. As the hon. Lady will appreciate, it is important that the Government do not seek to influence this process or comment on any individual cases. I can confirm, though, that the Post Office is co-operating with the CCRC to the fullest extent and the Government are monitoring this. Forty-seven of the 61 CCRC cases have now been referred to the Court of Appeal, and it is for the courts to decide whether the convictions are unsafe Let me acknowledge the strength of feeling on this matter on both sides of the House, which was evident in the debates I participated in earlier this year and in the correspondence I have had from many Members. That is why the Government are committed to establishing an independent review to consider whether the Post Office has learned the necessary lessons from the Horizon dispute and court case, and to provide an independent and external assessment of its work to rebuild its relationship with its postmasters. Full details of the terms of reference for that independent review are set out in a written ministerial statement that I laid in the House this morning. We are keen to see that review launched as soon as possible, and we are in the process of identifying a chair to lead the work of the review.
Horizon: Sub-Postmaster Convictions — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. The Government provided nearly £2 billion for the period 2010-18 and are investing a further £370 million from 2018-21 to invest in the transformation of the business. A negotiated agreement was secured with all 28 UK banks in 2019 and took effect in 2020. That has resulted in a significant increase in the overall fees received by the Post Office from the banks, and that will rise further if transaction volumes continue to grow. We have also encouraged the Post Office to strengthen its relationship with postmasters and postmaster training to foster a stronger commercial partnership. We recently put in place personalised support for postmasters. If we are going to get the future relationship with postmasters right, we have to tackle the injustices that have happened in the past, but we also have to rebuild, with the new management in the Post Office, trust and training and respect for the sub-postmasters of the future.
Horizon: Sub-Postmaster Convictions — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
Jerome Patrick Burke Mayhew (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the great frustrations to date has been the refusal of the former senior management of the Post Office to answer detailed questions on this issue and to be held to account. That is the least that is owed to those who have been wrongly convicted, including my constituent Siobhan Sayer. Will my hon. Friend confirm that individual culpability of senior management figures within the Post Office will be part of this review?
Horizon: Sub-Postmaster Convictions — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): I fear the cover-up could continue. The Post Office has decided to bring in Herbert Smith Freehills to oversee historic cases. This is the practice that contributed to the cover-up of a fraud at Lloyds HBOS over seven years and oversaw the establishment and operation of the Lloyds bank customer review, which was described by the Financial Conduct Authority’s review of that scheme as discriminatory, flawed and an unacceptable denial of responsibility, and that review is now having to be done again. Does the Minister think the Post Office should reconsider that decision?
Horizon: Sub-Postmaster Convictions — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
Richard Michael John Ogilvie Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): In 2015, Post Office Ltd closed its own review of Horizon IT by saying that there were "no system-wide problems with our computer systems". Nothing could have been further from the truth. We have all been let down, and many sub-postmasters have been badly treated. I urge the Minister to start the independent review as soon as possible to discover precisely who knew what and when in Fujitsu, Post Office Ltd, and the National Federation of SubPostmasters. Does he agree that nothing should be ruled out, including criminal prosecution, if justified?
Horizon: Sub-Postmaster Convictions — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
Simon Richard James Fell (Conservative, Centre-right): Isabella Wall was a sub-postmistress in Barrow. She ran a thriving shop and let flats above the property. As a result of the scandal, she lost everything. She was the very first person to come and see me at a surgery as a newly elected MP and I carry with me the anger she brought to that meeting. Does my hon. Friend accept that while the Post Office has accepted it got things wrong, there is a long, long way to go for people like Ms Wall before they are properly compensated for the financial and emotional losses they faced? Will he confirm that the Government will give weight to fair compensation being paid to wronged sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses?
Horizon: Sub-Postmaster Convictions — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
Tracey Elizabeth Anne Crouch (Conservative, Centre-right): I think the Minister is doing an excellent job, and I have been in his position, where I have announced a review but was not allowed to call it a review. I appreciate that he might think the difference between a review and an inquiry is just semantics, but for many people those semantics really matter. I share colleagues’ views about the need for an independent inquiry. I would also like to know what the Minister will do about financial compensation. He has said that there are limits on what the Government can do, but it is really important that he looks at this again and sees what steps can be taken to ensure that those affected are fully and fairly compensated.
Exiting the European Union (Civil Aviation) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. For the avoidance of doubt, I must say that in current circumstances it is not necessary for everyone who is taking part in a debate to be here at the beginning—just in case the House happens to be full and we want to keep the numbers down. Most unusually, therefore, the hon. Gentleman has done nothing wrong.
Exiting the European Union (Civil Aviation) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Other
Eleanor Fulton Laing (Conservative, Centre-right): Once again, I will not suspend the House, because the last piece of business passed very swiftly and I perceive that everyone who was intending to leave the Chamber has done so and that everyone who requires to be here for the next piece of business is here, so we will move immediately on.
Water Industry — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
John Alan Redwood (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Minister assure the House that this provision will not be used as a device to prevent the additional provision of water capacity, which is much-needed in the south-east? We have had huge overdevelopment, without the proper additional provision of water. We now wish to see an awful lot more food grown locally and in our country, which will need a lot of irrigation. So will she assure the House that increasing capacity will be an important part of the greener growth that we look forward to?
Business of the House (Private Members’ Bills) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Other
Peter William Bone (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not going to fall foul of the Deputy Speaker, because that is exactly a procedure that I would approve of. The idea that a Government do not lay a money resolution to allow the House to decide whether to pass a Bill is outrageous, but that is part of the problem of getting private Members’ Bills through I want to congratulate the Government on doing a very sensible thing. We will now sit on 10 July, hopefully, for the second private Member’s Bill Friday. We have one Friday in September and then a series in October—I think it is every week—and one in November. It is to their credit that the Government have moved on this issue. Unfortunately, as he is now the Leader of the House, he will no longer be sitting on the Back Benches arguing for hours on end as to why some private Member’s Bill should not get through, but perhaps he will turn up and sit at the Dispatch Box to listen I congratulate my right hon. Friend on this. I am very pleased to be able to say that the result of the change to the motion has meant that I do not have to speak for three and a half hours and I do not have to throw my 40 Bills on to the Floor of the House.
Proxy Voting (Extension) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Other
Mark James Harper (Conservative, Centre-right): I will speak briefly, so as not to detain the House. I spoke in the Standing Order No. 24 debate on this matter on Monday, when I urged the Leader of the House to listen to the debate and make the changes that he has indeed brought forward to extend proxy voting. I therefore thought it appropriate to say on the Floor of the House what I have said on Twitter, and thank the Leader for listening to what was said in the House and for extending proxy voting to enable those with caring responsibilities, and those who have reasons other than their own medical condition and are unable to be present—it is not that they do not want to come to the House—to have the opportunity to have a proxy vote and have their vote cast on their behalf. To the Leader, I say thank you One other thing, which is a question for the Leader to think about. I also said on Monday that I hoped—he indicated that he was open to this—to see whether it was technically possible to enable colleagues who are not able to be present in the House to participate in the legislative functions of the House, albeit that I acknowledged that perhaps they would not be able to participate fully, as in intervening. I wonder whether he has made any progress on that. I accept that matter may be technically complex and require some further thought, but I thought it worth mentioning on the Floor of the House. When the Leader has listened and responded to what is said in the House, it is appropriate to say thank you to him for doing so Question put and agreed to.
Rolls-Royce (Redundancies) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North (Gavin Newlands) for securing this important debate today. I note that my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Andrew Stephenson), whose two sites in Barnoldswick are impacted—I know that some of those workers actually live in your constituency, Mr Deputy Speaker—and my right hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mark Spencer), the Chief Whip, have both made representations to me on behalf of their constituents I would like to begin by stating that Rolls-Royce is one of our most important manufacturers in the United Kingdom. It is the world’s second largest manufacturer of large civil aerospace engines and our largest civil aerospace company, and it accounts for about 2% of all UK exports of manufactured goods. On 18 May, the Business Secretary spoke to Warren East, the chief executive of Rolls-Royce, who advised that he would be making an announcement on restructuring plans involving job reductions globally. Warren East explained that this latest restructuring was a difficult but necessary decision to respond to the changed medium-term market conditions for civil aircraft resulting from the covid-19 pandemic and, of course, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the company. Although still uncertain of the number of job reductions at any particular location, he indicated that all of its civil aerospace sites were likely to be impacted, and assured us that Rolls-Royce would notify the MPs in the constituencies that would be affected. Warren East was grateful for the Government’s covid-19 business support measures, which are helping the company in the short term. However, he made it clear that no Government support could replace the lost global customer demand and reduced flying hours. Rolls-Royce made a public announcement on the restructuring plans on 20 May. It said that it would reduce its global workforce by at least 9,000, and that about two thirds of the job reductions would be in the United Kingdom.
Rolls-Royce (Redundancies) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
Sara Alice Britcliffe (Conservative, Centre-right): Over 200 job losses are proposed at Rolls-Royce in Barnoldswick. Rolls-Royce is a jewel in the crown of manufacturing in east Lancashire, and it is important to everyone, not least my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Andrew Stephenson), who has worked extremely hard on this. Does the Minister agree that supporting the small modular reactors programme would help protect jobs at Rolls-Royce?
Rolls-Royce (Redundancies) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, and I hope that as I make some headway in my speech he will recognise what we are doing. I can tell him, because he asked about this earlier, that in terms of financial support the corporate finance facility from the Bank of England has provided £1.8 billion of support to airlines, and £300 million to Rolls-Royce—I will come back to that—and £60 million to Meggitt as well.
Rolls-Royce (Redundancies) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Other
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his question, and, again, he anticipates my speech. We are looking at all of this, as I hope he will recognise from some of the things I will be saying soon.
Rolls-Royce (Redundancies) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, and I hope that, as I make some headway, he will see some of the action that we have already taken to help the industry. I have held several meetings with groups of senior industrialists from the sector during this period. I am pleased that aerospace companies have been able to draw on the Government’s extensive financial support package, which includes £330 billion of loans and guarantees, the tax deferrals and the furlough scheme for workers. Rolls-Royce has benefited from £300 million of support from the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility. My Department is working with an industry-led UK aerospace supply chain taskforce, set up by the ADS Group, the national aerospace trade association, in consultation with Airbus. The taskforce, led by Tom Williams, the former chief operating officer of Airbus, is looking at supply chain vulnerabilities within the industry and at potential remedies, including around financing. That will ensure that ongoing covid-19 Government support is co-ordinated with the actions of business to support supply chains and employment We are continuing to back the sector strongly. Our Aerospace Technology Institute, the ATI programme, is providing £1.95 billion of Government funding for aerospace R&D by 2026, which will be matched by industry. The programme has been a game-changer for the UK aerospace industry since 2013, providing real long-term certainty about the availability and the level of public funding, giving industry the confidence it needs to invest. From Broughton in north Wales, to Derby in the east midlands and Inchinnan in the constituency of the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, we are at the cutting edge of global aerospace innovation. We manufacture the most advanced parts of an aircraft here in the UK, and we want to maintain our position for many years to come. Indeed, creating this positive business environment helped to give Rolls-Royce the confidence to build its new large engine testbed in Derby, the largest indoor facility of its type in the world.
Rolls-Royce (Redundancies) — House of Commons, 2020-06-10
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): I hope to address the hon. Gentleman’s point in my concluding remarks. Suffice it to say that the most valuable resource in any organisation—I have spent more years being in business than I have as a Member of Parliament and a Minister—is the human resource and that any leader, and chief executive, would be minded to think long and hard before behaving in a way that makes their people, the family who make up their business, feel as though their leadership are not listening to them In addition, we are supporting investments in new green aviation technologies, which will not only help us to deliver on our net zero commitments, but keep the UK at the forefront of the aerospace sector globally. We continue to back Rolls-Royce’s export campaigns, including, where needed, through UK Export Finance. The recovery of the aerospace sector is, of course, dependent on the wider aviation sector, as has been mentioned in this debate, and on getting aircraft flying again. The Government are committed to getting this crucial sector restarted. Led by my right hon. Friend the Transport Secretary, we are in active discussions with industry through an expert steering group, as part of an international aviation taskforce. The group has been instrumental in the development of the health measures guidance for passengers and operators, which my Department for Transport colleagues will be publishing as soon as possible. The border health measures that we spoke about earlier will be subject to review—currently this will be every three weeks—to ensure that they are in line with the latest scientific evidence, and remain effective and necessary. We are examining the possibility of alternatives to the international passenger self-isolation rules, including air bridges, where countries have managed the virus and we are confident in their measures for departing passengers—I spoke about that earlier. We will continue to work with industry on this concept and, ultimately, we will be guided by the science. I am sure the House will appreciate that the health of the public will always come first.
Covid-19: No Recourse to Public Funds — House of Commons, 2020-06-08
Topic: Immigration
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government have made it our priority to protect the vulnerable throughout this national emergency, but we do not believe it is necessary to suspend the NRPF condition to do so. It is right that migrants coming to the UK are financially independent; however, practical support, such as rent protections and the coronavirus job retention scheme, apply to those NRPF conditions. We have allocated more than £3.2 billion to local authorities and £750 million to charities to support the most vulnerable.
Covid-19: No Recourse to Public Funds — House of Commons, 2020-06-08
Topic: Housing
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): It is important to put on the record that this is not just about the Home Office; we work across Government and MHCLG—the Department responsible for local government and communities—is obviously central to this issue. In terms of the resources that have been provided, practical support, such as rent protections and the coronavirus job retention scheme, apply to those under the "no recourse to public funds" conditions. The hon. Lady specifically mentioned MHCLG and local authorities; £3.2 billion has been provided. I have been working directly with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and I have also been part of discussions with the devolved Administrations, throughout the past 10 weeks, looking at the protective measures and the support that can be provided through the resources provided from central Government.
Covid-19: No Recourse to Public Funds — House of Commons, 2020-06-08
Topic: Civil Rights
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): I have a number of points to make to the hon. and learned Lady. First, the Government published the report last week on the impact of coronavirus on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The findings are indeed shocking and it is right that the Government invest their time and resources, particularly through the Minister for Equalities, to look at the measures that can be put in place. The "no recourse to public funds" policy is one of many policies, and it is right that as a Government we look at all policies that affect all communities in the round, without singling out one particular policy.
Covid-19: No Recourse to Public Funds — House of Commons, 2020-06-08
Topic: Civil Rights
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): If I may say, it is wrong to characterise the policy as racially discriminatory. It is a fact, however, that, for all communities and people of all backgrounds, there are many financial protections in place through the safety net of the welfare state. In addition, when it comes to children, funds have been made available through the Department for Education in the pupil premium. There are a plethora of support packages, which, combined collectively, are based on individual needs and individual circumstances. It is right that we treat people as individuals and not just categorise them. It is important to recognise that a plethora of issues affect people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, but we cannot assume that there is a one-size-fits-all approach, or a single-policy solution, to address those issues. It is right, as I have already indicated, that my right hon. Friend the Minister for Women and Equalities looks at the report that was published last week and that the Government provide a collective response to the many challenges facing the community.
Covid-19: Personal Protective Equipment — House of Commons, 2020-06-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his question. My Department is working extremely closely with the police and the fire and rescue services, as he will be aware, to ensure that they receive all the support and PPE that they need throughout this covid-19 outbreak.
Immigration — House of Commons, 2020-06-08
Topic: Immigration
Chris Ian Brian Mynott Philp (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for that question. He has long experience of matters such as this in the Home Office and elsewhere. On 1 January, for the first time in decades, the United Kingdom will have full democratic control over our immigration system, giving us power to determine who comes here and for how long. We do not intend to impose a cap, but our points-based system will ensure that only those with the skills our country needs come to the United Kingdom, and it is our expectation that total migration, as a consequence, will reduce.
Immigration — House of Commons, 2020-06-08
Topic: Immigration
Chris Ian Brian Mynott Philp (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is correct: people trafficking and people smuggling is a shocking offence that causes untold human misery. Last year, Immigration Enforcement made 259 arrests in connection with people smuggling and secured 101 criminal convictions, but I would like to assure him that this is an area where we can, must and will go a great deal further.