argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Race Inequality — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Andrew George Stephenson (Conservative, Centre-right): I join my hon. Friend in congratulating the Government on introducing name blind recruitment in the civil service, the NHS, and other large graduate employers. Will he join me in encouraging other large companies across the UK to follow suit?
Race Inequality — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Marcus Charles Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): Apprenticeships are an extremely important part of the Government’s agenda. We have a target of 3 million apprenticeship starts during this Parliament. Within that, the Prime Minister has clearly set out the Government’s commitment to ensure that 20% of those apprenticeship starts are for BME young people, which I think is a great step forward.
Universities: BME Students — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Anna Mary Soubry (Conservative, Centre-right): The Prime Minister, as we have just heard in respect of apprenticeships, has set a goal of increasing by 20% the number of BME students in higher education. In our new guidelines to the director of fair access, which we published on 11 February, we ask him to maximise the contribution of access agreements towards that ambition. The share of BME enrolments at the United Kingdom’s institutions has already risen by just over 20% to 23% between 2009 and 2015. Expenditure to widen access through agreements is expected to reach £746 million in 2016-17, up from £444 million in 2011.
Universities: BME Students — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Law and Crime
Anna Mary Soubry (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman seems to be making a very good point, which I am more than happy to discuss with the Home Office. I see that one of the relevant Ministers is already here, and we will have those conversations.
Universities: BME Students — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome what the Minister has said about the figures for university applications. Does she agree that we must not take our eye off the ball when it comes to other routes, and that we must also encourage BME students to take courses such as apprenticeships and ensure that they have equal status in those routes?
Universities: BME Students — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Anna Mary Soubry (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. In the city of Nottingham, I have also seen the great success of mentors and the hugely important role that they can play not only for BME youngsters but for women. Mentors do excellent work, and there is good evidence of their importance. I encourage all Members of this place to go out and make sure that in our schools everything possible is being done to make sure that there is fairness and equality.
Universities: BME Students — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Anna Mary Soubry (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady makes a very good point, if I may say so. I am grateful to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, who makes the point that the London Academy of Excellence is a very good example. I must say that my nearest university, the University of Nottingham is—like Nottingham Trent University and many other universities—making a really positive effort to get into all our schools to make sure that all our pupils have every opportunity and that they, if I may put it this way, aim high.
Gender Economic Inequality — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure the hon. Lady will welcome the fact that 65% of the people who will benefit from the new national living wage in a couple of months will be women. This Government are taking that very important step to raise pay for the lowest-paid in our country.
Gender Economic Inequality — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): As my right hon. Friend will be aware, given her interest in this matter, not only are we taking steps to publish this information for companies with more than 250 people on the payroll, but for financial services—the sector I, as Economic Secretary, engage with most—which has the highest pay and the biggest pay gap, we have appointed Jayne-Anne Gadhia to review pay in the sector and see what further steps we can take. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said last July: "Transparency, skills, representation, affordable childcare—these things can end the gender pay gap in a generation."
Gender Economic Inequality — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): As a woman whose state pension age has gone up by six years during her working lifetime, I welcome the changes that will equalise the state pension age for men and women. That will end the discrimination of women in their late 50s, which has prevented far too many of them from reaching higher-paid roles in our society.
Domestic Violence Services: Funding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Law and Crime
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government have already announced £40 million of funding for domestic abuse services between 2016 and 2020, as well as a £2 million grant to Women’s Aid and SafeLives to support early intervention. We will shortly publish a refreshed cross-governmental violence against women and girls strategy, which will set out how we will do more still to secure long-term funding for domestic violence services and support for all victims.
Domestic Violence Services: Funding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Law and Crime
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): I should make it clear that central Government funding for domestic abuse services has not been cut. I want to make that clear so that there is no confusion. The issue is about locally commissioned services. The hon. and learned Gentleman is right that I have been having discussions with local commissioners and service providers, and I will issue the refreshed VAWG strategy shortly.
Domestic Violence Services: Funding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: International Affairs
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): There is an issue with article 44 of the Istanbul convention, which is about extraterritoriality. It is an issue regarding the devolved Administrations, of which there is more than one, as the hon. Lady will be aware. When we have clarified that point and passed the relevant primary legislation, we will ratify the Istanbul convention.
Welfare Reform: Gender Equality — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Questions: The Minister will be aware that women’s aid groups have expressed serious concerns that changes to housing benefit could force the closure of many refuges. Will she challenge her colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions to exempt refuges from those changes, to protect vulnerable women and children who are fleeing domestic violence?
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady will know that there are measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, and they are in conjunction with the many discussions that we have with stakeholders, and we take on board all considerations. That is exactly what the Department will do in its dialogue with third-party organisations.
Retirement Age — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Questions: What recent meetings she has had with women who have been affected by changes to the retirement age; and if she will make a statement.
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): We all know that women are affected by changes to the retirement age, and Ministers and their officials have met and corresponded with hundreds of women about pensions reform. The changes have been subject to many recent parliamentary debates, and the Government’s position has been made clear.
Retirement Age — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Questions: What recent meetings she has had with women who have been affected by changes to the retirement age; and if she will make a statement.
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): I did listen to that debate, while I was also in another debate in Westminster Hall. Let us be clear: the Government have listened to extensive concerns that have been raised in the House, and concessions worth more than £1 billion were introduced to lessen the impact of the changes for those worst affected. The previous Government introduced future changes to the state pension age for women and men, following extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament. Importantly, the Government have made difficult but necessary decisions when it comes to speeding up the timetable for the equalisation of the pension age.
Retirement Age — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Questions: What recent meetings she has had with women who have been affected by changes to the retirement age; and if she will make a statement.
Priti Sushil Patel (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government have listened extensively to the concerns raised, and they have also worked with pensions organisations. To reiterate, the Government have made concessions of £1 billion, which have been introduced to lessen the impact of the changes on those affected.
Apprenticeships — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Anna Mary Soubry (Conservative, Centre-right): The apprentice national minimum wage applies equally to all apprentices, and from October last year that rate was increased by 21% to £3.30 per hour. We continue to focus on improving the quality of all apprenticeships, and we are putting that into statute. We all go into schools, and one great thing we can do is not only to act as role models, especially if we are female, but to sing out about things such as the apprenticeship scheme, and make clear that it is not confined to boys.
Apprenticeships — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Minister assure me that older women are getting a fair deal when it comes to apprenticeships, and especially that they are able to return to work after caring responsibilities? Will she look carefully at the engineering and construction sectors to ensure that they are truly open to all?
Apprenticeships — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Anna Mary Soubry (Conservative, Centre-right): The institute, with which I am familiar, will comprise all the sorts of people it should have on it—primarily employers, but it will look to work with providers—to make absolutely sure not only that the quality of apprenticeships is good, but that we get everybody and anybody applying for apprenticeships. Whatever someone’s background might be—sex, colour of skin or ethnicity—absolutely does not matter at all. In certain areas, I do not have a problem at all in making a positive case to make sure that more women or more people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds go into apprenticeships, especially the high-quality ones. There should be no barrier.
Older Women: Caring Support — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): Unpaid carers are the backbone of our society. That is why the Care Act 2014 gave carers new rights that focus on their wellbeing and give them properly targeted support. We have also invested £1.6 million in a series of pilots to look at the best ways to support those who have caring responsibilities.
Older Women: Caring Support — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Henry Bellingham (Conservative, Centre-right): I have been visiting care homes and care companies in my constituency that are currently facing unprecedented challenges. Does the Minister agree that this places an even greater onus on older carers, who do invaluable and compassionate work? What measures will she put in place to help older carers get back into employment when their care duties come to an end?
Older Women: Caring Support — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. Unpaid carers are the unsung heroes of our economy. The value of informal care is about £62 billion a year. For many carers it is literally a labour of love, which is why we have extended the right to request flexible working. A pilot project is considering the best way to support carers, through investment in technology and professional support, to stay in employment.
Older Women: Caring Support — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady makes a valid point. I understand the concerns, but she must remember that the new state pension will give 650,000 women an average increase of £416 a year on their pension and, in addition, support those who take time out of employment, for example for caring roles, by crediting this very important work.
Entrepreneurs: Government Support — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
David Henry Rutley (Conservative, Centre-right): Self-employment is at record levels. Since 2009, women have accounted for more than 50% of that increase. Will my hon. Friend join me in welcoming Julie Deane’s new review into self-employment, and will she work with colleagues to take forward recommendations that will help more women to set up businesses successfully and to thrive?
Entrepreneurs: Government Support — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Labor
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): Julie Deane is an incredibly inspiring example of the great female entrepreneurs we have here in the UK, and about a million of our small and medium-sized enterprises are indeed led by women, contributing an incredible £85 billion to the British economy. Julie has made some wide-ranging recommendations as part of her review into self-employment. I know that my hon. Friend has been involved in those recommendations, and they will be considered very carefully by the Government.
Gender Pay Gap — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): This legislation will require businesses to show how many people are employed at the different sectors of their organisations. However, my hon. Friend is right that this starts right from the beginning when girls are given careers advice about which businesses and sectors they should aim to get into. We need to get away from the idea that there are "girls’ jobs" and "boys’ jobs." There are just "jobs."
STEM Subjects: A-level — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): The number of science and maths A-level entries among girls has increased by 12,000 in the last five years, but the Government are determined to encourage even more girls to study those subjects to help them to secure rewarding jobs in the future. I recently announced that, by 2020, we want to see a 20% increase in the number of girls applying to study science and maths. To achieve that, we will build on an extensive range of Government-funded support for schools.
STEM Subjects: A-level — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Andrea Marie Jenkyns (Conservative, Centre-right): There are some fantastic STEM schools in my constituency, including Outwood Grange Academy, where I attended a brilliant STEM skills workshop a couple of weeks ago, and Woodkirk Academy, which I visited with the Minister for Women and Equalities last year. Will she join me in praising those schools, which are helping more pupils to consider STEM careers by finding imaginative ways to show them the possibilities that those subjects hold? Pupils have even participated in a LEGO minecraft workshop at Woodkirk.
STEM Subjects: A-level — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the opportunity to join my hon. Friend in praising the work of Outwood Grange and Woodkirk Academies for their excellent work in this regard. During my visits I was impressed to see at first hand how the academies engage pupils in STEM subjects, demonstrating the application of science and maths and promoting STEM careers.
STEM Subjects: A-level — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Education
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): Actually, we are going to go much further. We have introduced, and are funding, the Careers & Enterprise Company. We shall be investing more than £70 million in careers work during the current Parliament to enable young men and women to be inspired by people who visit schools, by work experience opportunities, by finding out more, and by the Your Daughter’s Future programme. We discussed the gender pay gap earlier. I think it worth noting that those working in careers in science or technology are paid, on average, 19% more than those in other professions, and I think we can all agree that we want more girls to go into such careers.
Affordable Childcare — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government will have invested an extra £1 billion per annum by 2019-20 to help hard-working families with the cost of childcare. We are doubling the amount of free childcare to 30 hours for working parents of three and four-year-olds, and from early 2017 tax-free childcare will benefit about 2 million families by up to £2,000 per child. Many families will also be able to claim 85% of childcare costs through universal credit.
Affordable Childcare — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Andrew James Griffiths (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for that, and especially for the extra £13 million that is being made available to councils such as mine in Staffordshire so that they can roll out the childcare plan sooner. That will help thousands of hard-working families throughout the country. However, will she give particular consideration to what can be done to help families with disabled children and children with special needs?
Affordable Childcare — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Nicky Morgan (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that we are investing more in childcare. Those with disabled children receive £4,000 of tax-free childcare per child. During the last and current Parliaments, we have been rolling out education and healthcare plans for children, including those aged nought to 25 who have more complex needs. We are clear about the fact that our childcare policies must require providers to cater properly for children with disabilities.
Sanitary Products: VAT — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Macroeconomics
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): The Financial Secretary to the Treasury has written to the European Commission and to other member states setting out our strong view that member states should have full discretion in regard to the rate of VAT that they can apply to these products, and that that should be considered in the context of the Commission’s action plan on VAT, which we expect to be published in March.
EU Solidarity Fund: Flooding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: International Affairs
James Wharton (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend has demonstrated an understanding of the European Union solidarity fund that is absent among those on the Opposition Front Bench. It is a complex fund that requires a number of facts to be taken into consideration. There is an administration process that will take a long time and cost a significant amount. That is why we had to carry out a proper assessment to understand whether it would be of net benefit to the UK taxpayer to make an application before we got to the place where we could make the announcement that I have been able to confirm today. That is the right process, and my hon. Friend has demonstrated from his own constituency experience his deep understanding of the issue and the complexities of the matters before the House.
EU Solidarity Fund: Flooding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: Social Welfare
James Wharton (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is right—speed is of the essence, which is why the Government have made more than £200 million available to areas affected and made it available as quickly as possible—immediately —for the communities that needed support, so that support is there. This fund will take time to pay out. That is the way the process works. It will take months from the date of application to come to conclusion. We have decided to apply because we have assessed it to be of net benefit to the UK to do so, but the funding that communities needed was provided by this Government straight away.
EU Solidarity Fund: Flooding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher Robert Chope (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend says that this is an important application, but will he put it in context? Every day British taxpayers pay £50 million to the European Union. How much does he think we are going to get back: three or four days’ worth of contributions?
EU Solidarity Fund: Flooding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: International Affairs
Andrew James Bridgen (Conservative, Centre-right): Can the Minister confirm that the UK paid £36.5 million into the EU solidarity fund last year, making us the second largest net contributor, and that we have only ever claimed once, in 2007, when we received £130 million? Is not the reason we have been reluctant to claim that we get very little out of the scheme because of our rebate? Effectively, we are paying into an insurance scheme that we cannot claim from.
EU Solidarity Fund: Flooding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: International Affairs
James Wharton (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman asks an important question. Much of this, as a devolved matter, is dealt with by the Scottish Government, but we have had ongoing discussions with them, including, in the context of the application I have announced today, on the information we need from them to underpin the parts of the application that apply to Scotland.
EU Solidarity Fund: Flooding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: International Affairs
James Wharton (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for her question, and I wish to put on the record on the Floor of the House my appreciation for the constructive nature of the debate we had in Westminster Hall—I think it brings out the best in this place when we pull together to do what we can to support the communities we all represent. As I am sure she will appreciate, we are at the stage of having identified that applying will be of net benefit to the UK. We still have a lot of work to do to finalise the costs and figures that we will submit to the Commission, so I am not in a position to confirm what the entire net benefit will be at the end of the process, but we will of course keep the House updated as progress is made.
EU Solidarity Fund: Flooding — House of Commons, 2016-02-25
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher Heaton-Harris (Conservative, Centre-right): To not give false hope to the communities everyone is talking about today, the Minister must say at the Dispatch Box that there is no guarantee of our ever receiving this money. Domestically, the process is complicated enough, but when we get to the European process, whereby we apply for some of our own money to come back to this country, it becomes even more complicated, and the timeline is extremely long. Will he give us a rough idea of how long the timeline was in 2007? Will he also assure communities that the Government are spending money now that is helping them, and that we will do well in the future even if this money from Europe does not come?