argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
EU: Future Relationship White Paper — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: International Affairs
Jeremy John Elton Lefroy (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the major, and understandable, arguments during the referendum was that when we joined the EU in 1973 people did not really understand what it was going to lead to. Does my right hon. Friend, whom I really welcome to his post, therefore recognise the great importance of communicating what is proposed here and what is eventually put to Parliament to the general public, in particular the young people who are going to have to live with this for the next 30, 40 or more years, as well as to Parliament itself? Sometimes this debate can seem to be expressed in very dry terms, so it is absolutely vital that this communication is there and the discussion is there with the public as a whole.
EU: Future Relationship White Paper — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I remember how insightful he was when we served on the Brexit Committee together. It is true that this needs to avoid being a Westminster bubble conversation, and I have already had meetings with business groups from the CBI to the Federation of Small Businesses to ensure that the views of the diversity of the business community are fed through and that I understand them properly. He is also right to say that we need to go out and sell the message that, yes, Brexit is about managing the risks involved in any changing relationship, but also that there are huge opportunities for us to grasp, including for the young people of this country.
EU: Future Relationship White Paper — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: International Affairs
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): My constituents are a realistic, sensible and practical lot and, unlike some politicians, they know that they will not always get 100% of what they want in life, but they do expect their politicians to deliver. Before the referendum, the 58% of my constituents who voted for Brexit told me clearly that what they wanted was control of their borders, control of their laws, an end to freedom of movement and to stop spending billions of pounds in Europe for reasons that they could not really understand. In very simple terms, Secretary of State, will this deal deliver on what my constituents want?
EU: Future Relationship White Paper — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: International Affairs
Dominic Rennie Raab (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, it will, and we need to proceed at pace with our negotiations with our EU friends to make that happen. At the same time, we need to ensure that we are ready for any eventuality in the negotiations. However, we are not looking to rely on those contingency plans; we are looking to get the very best deal, and in this White Paper, we have achieved it.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: International Affairs
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): I commend the hon. Gentleman for his statement and his Committee for its report. First, may I encourage the Committee to include maps in its reports for those of us who are more geographically challenged? Secondly, may I pick up on his comments about Russian influence? Given the Slavic connections between the western Balkans and the Russians, are Russia’s efforts a half-hearted attempt to gain influence in the former Yugoslavia, or a real push for domination in that part of the world?
FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: International Affairs
Alan James Carter Duncan (Conservative, Centre-right): May I put on the record the Government’s thanks to the Committee for its hard work in preparing the report following its inquiry into the western Balkans? I have listened to today’s exchanges with great interest. They are well timed, coming so soon after the successful western Balkans summit at the beginning of the week. At our summit, the meeting of Foreign Ministers, which I chaired, and the meeting of Interior Ministers, which the Home Secretary chaired, fed into the discussions of Heads of Government, which in turn were chaired by the Prime Minister. Those meetings led to the signature of three important joint declarations and the announcement of several important initiatives, all of which are available to Members I hope the House will join me in paying special thanks to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales for his sustained involvement in reconciliation in the region and for hosting a wonderful reception on Tuesday evening to mark the conclusion of the summit I can reassure the Committee that I will pass on the comments of the hon. Member for Ilford South (Mike Gapes) and others to the Foreign Secretary, and the Foreign Office will of course respond to the report in due course, but at this stage I just want to single out one issue the hon. Gentleman raised, and that is the name issue. As we said at the summit, we offer our most heartfelt congratulations to and admiration for the leadership shown by the leaders of Greece and Macedonia in reaching an agreement, and we welcome the fact that at its summit this week NATO has announced it will open accession talks with Macedonia, which we hope will help to seal the name change, for which a referendum is still required With those observations, I once again express my gratitude to the Committee for its work and undertake to give a more complete response in due course.
Forced Adoption in the UK — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: Social Welfare
Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for that point, and I will certainly endeavour to do so Let me move on to why lessons have been learned from the past. We are confident that what happened to these mothers and their children could not be repeated today. Society now takes a very different attitude to single mothers. The legislative framework has been transformed beyond recognition. Today, the key principle is that children are generally best looked after within their family, with their parents playing a full part in their lives. Single mothers are given the support they need so that they can remain as a family. That is as it should be, as I am sure we all agree.
Carillion — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: Government Operations
Bernard Christison Jenkin (Conservative, Centre-right): I totally agree with the concept that these contracts become too big to fail, and therefore, as I will explain, it becomes an illusion that the Government have transferred risk to these companies. These companies are a private sector extension of the public sector, and the public sector still carries the risk.
Carillion — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: Government Operations
Stephen Charles Kerr (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend spoke earlier of contracts basically being awarded on price, rather than on any kind of value. Does he agree with the CBI’s response to the Carillion report that suppliers to the public sector need to "bid responsibly" for contracts and need to be "prepared to challenge" bad deals and to "walk away" from opportunities that will not yield long-term value? The reality is we have a group of companies in this country that seem to be addicted to bidding on price, and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, à la Carillion.
Rail Passenger Comfort — House of Commons, 2018-07-12
Topic: Transportation
Giacomo Lopresti (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. I am massively impressed by his technical knowledge of rolling stock and comfortable seats. Passenger comfort and safety are obviously important, but so are the comfort and safety of the people who operate and work on trains. On the Severn Beach line, a local service in my constituency, it is virtually impossible for conductors and other staff to move along the trains at peak times. Not only does that have significant implications for their own comfort and health and safety, but they cannot always collect tickets and then report accurately on how many people are using the service, which could affect its long-term viability.
Speaker’s Statement — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Now that the Chief Coroner has published the conclusions of the inquest, I know that the whole House will want me to say again how deeply grateful we are to PC Keith Palmer, the courageous police officer who was killed on 22 March 2017 doing the job he loved: keeping Parliament and us safe. Everyone who works here was shocked and saddened by his death, and we continue to express our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends As we reflect upon the findings of the inquest, we pay tribute to PC Palmer and to those whose lives were lost on Westminster bridge. We need to take all possible action to prevent a similar tragedy in the future. Carriage Gates are now kept closed and opened only to allow vehicles in or out. The Parliamentary Security Department and the Metropolitan Police continue to work hard to protect us from danger, but our co-operation is required, too. In that light, I encourage all Members to wear their security pass when on the estate. We should remember that security in Westminster is everyone’s responsibility.
Bailiffs — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course, evidence is extremely important. I should mention that when we reviewed the legislation earlier this year, we found that not all bailiffs act inappropriately. A large number act in accordance with the regulations that we set out, but we need to look at the small number who do not.
Bailiffs — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be very interested to hear about the case that the hon. Gentleman mentions. There is regulation in relation to bailiffs. For example, they have to be appointed by the court every two years. They come to the court to get their authorisation. So measures are in place to protect people, but we are looking at the issue and we must go further.
Private Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: How many private prosecutions initiated by third parties (a) were brought to trial and (b) resulted in a conviction in the last five years.
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight the fact that prosecutions can be brought by private bodies as well public bodies. The Ministry of Justice data does not currently identify whether a prosecution is public or private.
Private Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: How many private prosecutions initiated by third parties (a) were brought to trial and (b) resulted in a conviction in the last five years.
Andrew Richard Rosindell (Conservative, Centre-right): Like me, the Minister will have heard reports of police allowing perpetrators of domestic violence and especially of FGM to escape justice by a reluctance to prosecute. Will the Minister please inform the House of what is being done to ensure that we do not simply push responsibility to prosecute on to already traumatised victims?
Private Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: How many private prosecutions initiated by third parties (a) were brought to trial and (b) resulted in a conviction in the last five years.
Lucy Claire Leigh (Frazer) (Conservative, Centre-right): We must of course prosecute those who are alleged to have committed the terrible crimes that my hon. Friend talks about. We have strengthened the law. Failing to protect a girl from FGM is now an offence, and we have introduced an element of coercive control in domestic violence. We in the Ministry of Justice continue to work closely with the Home Office and the Attorney General, who is responsible for the Criminal Prosecution Service, to ensure that crimes are prosecuted.
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Labor
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): In May we published the education and employment strategy, which will set each prisoner on a path to employment, with prison education and work geared towards employment on release from the outset. Since publication of the strategy, we are working with about 70 new organisations that have registered an interest in working with offenders.
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Labor
Stephen Crabb (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Secretary of State’s response. Given that we have a shortage of about 60,000 HGV drivers in this country—it is a good job, paying a decent wage—does my right hon. Friend think that there is an opportunity in his strategy to work with industry bodies and other Government Departments to deliver a pathway for ex-offenders to train, get their HGV licence and be able to walk into a job on day one when they walk through the prison gates?
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is right to raise the point. My hon. Friend the Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies) has also raised that point on the Floor of the House, and we are working on proposals to do precisely that. Getting offenders into work makes them less likely to reoffend and enables them to contribute to society. It is something that we should absolutely aspire to.
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
James Stephen Heappey (Conservative, Centre-right): Despite progress in some prisons, too many prisoners still leave custody without a bank account, which is liable to increase the incidence of reoffending. As part of the ongoing review of probation services, will the Secretary of State look at what more could be done in prisons to ensure that this most basic of facilities is held by all prisoners before they are released?
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises an important point. It is worth pointing out that the offender banking programme ensures that prisons that release a significant number of prisoners have a relationship with a commercial bank to enable prisoners to open a basic bank account in the last six months of their sentence. A record number of accounts—6,500—were opened in 2017. He is right to highlight the matter.
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Nigel Paul Huddleston (Conservative, Centre-right): The Right Course is a programme set up by celebrity maître d’ Fred Sirieix, which helps train prisoners to run prison restaurants and therefore qualify for jobs once they have left prison. Will the Minister meet me and Fred to discuss how similar programmes can be expanded?
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Labor
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): We work across government on this matter and are considering a number of proposals across government, including with BEIS, on how we can encourage employers in this area, including on apprenticeships. Let me make a point I have made before: employers are increasingly looking at employing ex-offenders. We should all welcome that, and I would be supportive of any constructive steps to progress this.
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Labor
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): That is a good point. One thing we announced when I launched the education and employment strategy was the fact that the public sector—the civil service—was taking people on. We had a pilot in the north-west of England, which we are now extending to other parts of the United Kingdom. The Prison Service also takes on ex-offenders. The right hon. Gentleman is right to highlight this, and the public sector has a role to play in the area, too.
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The reoffending rate has actually fallen since then, but we recognise that issues need to be addressed. That is why earlier this year I announced a series of reforms to the probation system, including spending an additional £22 million on "through the gate" services to address this specific point.
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend, the Chairman of the Select Committee on Justice, raises an interesting point. The point I make to him is that we need to make sure that this system is working. There is scope for improvement, and, as I say, we have announced additional expenditure in this area, but he is right to say that this is not about who does it, but how it is done. There are steps we can take to improve it.
Offenders and Employment — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): What I can guarantee is that we are increasing the numbers—they have gone up by 3,500 in the past two years. That is enabling us to implement a key worker strategy, so that prison officers have the ability to spend more time with prisoners and can build that personal relationship, providing the support and advice necessary. That is an important step forward and I am pleased we are able to do it.
Probation Services — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): We do not believe this is an ideological divide between the private and public sectors. We are looking at the relationship between the community rehabilitation companies and the national probation service, in terms of their geographical spread and how they work together. However, we are finding across the country that having the public sector focus on the highest risk prisoners and the private sector and other, non-profit actors focusing on delivering for the lowest risk offenders is delivering innovation, from Cumbria right the way down to London.
Probation Services — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman’s local CRC, which is a good example of how CRCs can work. Durham CRC is a good example of the local authority and the previous probation trust working together. It has met 85% of its targets and is a well-performing CRC. There are also good examples to be followed elsewhere in the country, including in Cumbria, where the CRC is working with rural communities, and in London, where the CRC has improved dramatically and done some very good work with Grenfell survivors. I certainly pay tribute to the work done in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency.
Probation Services — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): A manageable case load is of course absolutely central, as is the flexibility to make sure that when a probation officer has a high-risk offender—a criminal who is more challenging to deal with—they have smaller numbers of offenders to deal with and can adjust their case load according to the risk posed by the individual and the complexity of the case.
Probation Services — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Roderick James Nugent Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): The best guarantee that these companies are performing is the action of Parliament and of the chief inspector of probation, to whom I pay tribute for her series of hard-hitting reports, most recently on domestic violence. As the Secretary of State has pointed out, we have seen a 2% reduction in reoffending. That has been driven by these companies and is to be welcomed, but there is of course much more to be done to protect the public.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have said recently, there is persuasive evidence that short custodial sentences do not work in terms of rehabilitation. In certain circumstances, community sentences are more effective in the reduction of reoffending and therefore keeping the public safe. The reoffending rate of offenders who serve fewer than 12 months is around 65%, but earlier research has shown the reoffending rate for similar offenders who receive a community penalty to be lower. We will look at what more we can do to emphasise that short custodial sentences should be viewed as a last resort.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his remarks. He referred to the female offender strategy; as he will be aware, its focus is on alternatives to custody, particularly for minor offences. There are particular issues for females offenders in respect of the nature of the offences and the issues that female offenders face, so it is right that we implement the new strategy.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): Often, it is not the right place, which is why my hon. Friend the Prisons Minister and I have been clear that we need to consider alternatives to custody and explore what more we can do with community sentences. In some cases, the issue is getting to the heart of the problem, which often might be drug dependency and so on. Some encouraging pilots are ongoing in respect of community sentence treatment requirements. Those are some of the steps that we are taking. I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s support for our approach.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): We are very much engaging with the strategy, and it is a strategy that I support. We are ensuring that we work across government to intervene as early as we can and that we have strong alternatives to custody that are not soft options but are effective. I draw the hon. Lady’s attention to the work that we are doing on community sentence treatment requirements as a way in which we can work across government to address some of these issues. For some people, prison is the right place, but for many of the petty offenders, there are more effective things we can do, and I welcome her support for the approach we are taking.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): We are looking at various options in this context. I know that Scotland introduced a presumption against three months. I think it is fair to say that that did not make much of a difference, and it has now been extended to 12 months, and we are looking at the evidence from that. I hope it is very clear to the House that, when it comes to reducing reoffending and to rehabilitation, we do question the effectiveness of short sentences.
Sentences: Reoffending Reduction — House of Commons, 2018-10-09
Topic: Law and Crime
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): Would not the effectiveness of all custodial sentences be increased if we reduced the number of prisoners who were released on a Friday night when no public services are available for them, often leaving them to fall into the hands of the local drug dealer and go straight back into a life of crime?