argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Heidi-Suzanne Allen (Conservative, Centre-right): The Secretary of State has every right to be exceptionally proud of what was achieved at the conference, but I fear that we need to do more locally in Europe. She will know, I am sure, that I and my hon. Friends the Members for Bury St Edmunds (Jo Churchill) and for Eastbourne (Caroline Ansell) were in Lesbos last weekend, and I can tell her that the Greeks are not coping. Britain needs to lead in Europe, as we have done on the global stage. There are refugees, including children, in Europe who need our help, and Greece is on its knees. Will the Secretary of State meet us to hear our first-hand emotional and factual account of what we saw?
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): The right hon. Gentleman knows that a key next step will be taken this Thursday, when the International Syria Support Group meets. That will build towards the resumption of peace talks, which are having what the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura described as a "pause" until 25 February. There are two elements to this. One, of course, is the peace talks and the political dialogue that is under way. The second, as I said in response to an earlier question, is the military action that is needed to eradicate Daesh from the part of the country that it holds. Making progress on both of those is critical. The final step, the rebuilding of Syria, will be a chance to put into practice much of the planning that is there already but unable to be got on with.
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Education
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): The sort of step forward that we saw last Thursday—the commitment that no child will be lost to the Syrian crisis, and that all children will be back in school—is absolutely critical. If we want them ever to feel that they are in a position to rebuild their own country, they will need at least to be able to read and write, and to have had some sort of education. Too many children have already lost too many days in school, but after last Thursday we have a much better chance of getting them back into the classroom and back learning. That is precisely what we are hoping to do over the next few weeks and months.
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): The €3 billion deal was very much reached as part of the Syria conference last Thursday. Like the right hon. Gentleman, I will be very keen to make sure that all the commitments made last Thursday are delivered. That is vital if we are to achieve the results we have set ourselves, including the ambition to make sure that no Syrian refugee child is out of school by the end of the forthcoming academic year. More broadly, he should be reassured that the UK will continue to play a role in ensuring not only that we do a lot in our response to this crisis—we have already done so: we are the second biggest bilateral donor to date—but that we continue to shape the response.
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): The general point that the right hon. Gentleman raises about access and making sure, alongside generating the resources that UN agencies and NGOs need, that we have the ability to get those resources to people in need was a central part of the conference. That is why I set out in my statement how important it was for the international community to reiterate its support for free and unfettered humanitarian access. We should condemn all those who are daily preventing key supplies from reaching people who are often at death’s door and in need of such supplies.
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Jason McCartney (Conservative, Centre-right): The easiest thing in politics is to say, "Do more", but may I say how proud I am of the Secretary of State, the Prime Minister and the UK for our response to this humanitarian crisis? I agree with my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (John Redwood), the right hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) and many other Members that we must now tackle the issue of indiscriminate bombing by Russian air forces. What can be done to get the UN special envoy back around the table with the Russians and to stop the bombing, which is making the crisis so much worse?
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): The UK Parliament is playing its own role in highlighting this issue, which has led to the current pause in the peace talks. In Munich on Thursday, it is vital that the Russians take a long, hard look at their role in being able to make or break the peace talks. At the moment, the actions they are taking are preventing progress—it is as simple as that—on two fronts: one is the ceasefire, and the other is their failure to persuade the Assad regime to allow supplies into key areas under its control. Of the many requests that UN agencies have made to the Assad regime to allow access to such areas, just 10% have been agreed, which is a total disgrace. I hope the Russians will raise that with the Assad regime, which they are doing so much to support.
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Education
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): The No Lost Generation initiative was set up with UNICEF, which has done an amazing job in allowing us to scale up this work. Of course, it is now essentially owned by the Governments in Lebanon and Jordan. I have had the privilege to work alongside their Education Ministers to put together the plans that are enabling us to scale up this work to ensure that all children in those countries can get into school. The best suggestion I can make is that those NGOs get in touch with DFID to understand what role they can play in the plans that the Governments of Jordan and Lebanon have to get children back into school.
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Henry Edward Millar Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): I commend my right hon. Friend and the Government not only for convening the Syria donor conference but for the significant in-region humanitarian support we are providing. In recent times, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have contemplated military action in Syria. Will she say what those countries and similar countries in the region are doing with regard to humanitarian aid?
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): One big step forward at the conference was the stepping up of the region to provide the resourcing for humanitarian supplies to get through to people. Of course, the last three donor conferences were in the region, in Kuwait. We chose to host the conference this year, but it had substantial and significant support from the region. That is one reason we were able to reach such a record-breaking pledge.
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): I commend my right hon. Friend for ensuring that Britain is the second largest western donor of aid to the region. What are the Turks meant to deliver in return for the €3 billion that the EU is giving them, especially with regard to the latest wave of refugees from the crisis in Aleppo?
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: International Affairs
Justine Greening (Conservative, Centre-right): I fully agree with the hon. Lady that women have a key role to play not only in the rebuilding of Syria in time, but in the peace talks that need to happen in advance. She will know that, alongside all the work we have done to help children affected by this crisis, we have focused on women as well. We know that in humanitarian emergencies, women and girls—adolescent girls, in particular—are often the most vulnerable people, so we have worked very hard to make sure that the risks they face are managed. I would be happy to write to her about some of our plans to make sure that women stay at the centre of our thoughts in the international response to the Syria crisis.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): And indeed Wiltshire. I suspect I may have the opportunity to respond to colleagues. In fact, distinguished local authority leaders are with us today I propose to increase more than fivefold the rural services delivery grant from £15.5 million this year to £80.5 million in 2016-17. With an extra £32.7 million available to rural councils through the transitional grant I have described, this £93.2 million of increased funding compared with the provisional settlement is available to rural areas. Very significantly, this proposal ensures there is no deterioration in Government funding for rural areas compared with urban areas for the year of this statutory settlement. At the request of rural councils, I have also helped the most economical authorities by allowing them to charge a de minimis £5 a year more in council tax without triggering a referendum. I will also consult on allowing well-performing planning departments the possibility to increase their fees in line with inflation at the most, provided that the revenue reduces the cross-subsidy the planning function currently gets from other council tax payers A final point from the consultation: although the figures for future years are indicative, a small number of councils were concerned that, as their revenue support grant declined, they would have to make a contribution to other councils in 2017-18 or 2018-19. I can confirm that no council will have to make such payments These are important times for local government. The devolution of power and resources from Whitehall is gathering momentum, yet I am aware that there is serious work for councils to do to continue to provide excellent services for residents at the lowest cost possible over the years ahead. I acknowledge the important role of Members in representing to me the recommendation of councils that deliver the services on which all our constituents depend. I am grateful for all their contributions My response to the consultation has been positive in respect of very sensible recommendations and as fair as possible, while holding firm to our commitment to free our constituents from the dangers inherent in the national deficit. I commend the statement to the House.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her contribution. She will know from her colleagues in Scotland that setting the local government financial framework is a delicate matter. It involves a lot of decisions that affect people in different ways, and I hope she will acknowledge that I have done this in a fair way. She talks about the transitional relief lasting for two years. This will happen because the shape of the settlement will see resources increasing towards the end of the period, as the social care precept and the Better Care Fund take effect. However, colleagues across the House felt that the first two years would be the most severe time, and I therefore felt it right to focus the transitional relief on that period. The hon. Lady mentioned an assessment of needs, and I completely agree with her. The review to which I have committed will look at all the needs, and it will consider not only the demographic pressures but the cost of delivering services, because that is a fair way to proceed.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Macroeconomics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I will indeed. I was grateful to my right hon. Friend for his meeting with me and the representations he made. Again, both of his local authorities felt that the early years were the most pressing, so I can confirm that there will be transitional funding for West Berkshire of £1.4 million and for Wokingham of £2.1 million in the year ahead. I think that will be welcomed by his authority, following my having carefully studied its representations to me.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I regularly meet that local leader. The west midlands is a very important area where we are negotiating a very important devolution deal at the moment. The hon. Gentleman will know that his local authority has benefited from the settlement, so that over the four years its spending power will increase by 1.5%, which I know will be welcomed locally.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Nicholas Soames (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for the careful and diligent way in which he has approached this matter. Does he agree that what seems to be so difficult for local government, particularly in rural areas, is that some counties and authorities, such as my local Mid Sussex District Council, run their affairs in an exemplary and very orderly fashion, but the more efficient and effective they are, the less money they get? That seems to be a completely idiotic way of proceeding.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): The introduction of the precept and of the Better Care Fund will be very important for Liverpool; by the end of the period it will deliver about £30 million a year to spend, quite appropriately, on the care of elderly people in Liverpool. I would have thought the hon. Lady would welcome that. Conservative county council leaders proposed that there should be a social care precept, but it would benefit her city as much as it does them.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Johanna Peta Churchill (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Secretary of State for the meeting he held with me and other Suffolk Members to discuss local funding. I know he has worked hard on our behalf, and I cautiously welcome his announcements today, particularly those on additional funding to ease the pace of reduction during those first two years. However, will he inform the House as to when final figures will be given to councils?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Edward Garnier (Conservative, Centre-right): Like others, I thank my right hon. Friend for the meetings he has had, particularly with my right hon. and hon. Friends from Leicestershire. As he will know, our county historically has been one of the worst funded from central Government, and we are hopeful that the new deal will benefit not only central Government but Leicestershire. Will he tell the House when we are likely to get the numbers, which the county council can deal with, and what they will be?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Macroeconomics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I certainly will. I am grateful to my right hon. and learned Friend for his advice on this matter. I think Leicestershire will make a particularly strong case for a review of the match between needs and resources. Rather than keeping him hanging on, I can tell him that the transitional funding for Leicestershire will be £3.3 million.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful, Mr Speaker I had conversations with the hon. Gentleman’s local authority, and it made some very positive comments and suggestions for the settlement, but I am always pleased to meet him to discuss the important devolution taking place in the north-east of England, of which we are very proud.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Macroeconomics
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I have made no assumption of reserves. In advance of the spending review, several commentators suggested that we should take account of councils’ known reserves. I resisted those calls, and it seems that it is reasonable for councils to have reserves, just as, as a nation, we are looking to create a surplus as a buffer against the ups and downs of the economy in the years ahead, which is something that the Labour party failed to do. The great advantage of a four-year settlement is that it gives that certainty to councils, so that part of the reserves that they keep against the uncertainty of year-to-year settlements is available to them, but I have made no assumptions that they will use them.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Andrew William Murrison (Conservative, Centre-right): Really well done to the Secretary of State on the statement, the uplift in the rural services delivery grant and the review that he has announced. However, what assumptions has he made about the uplift in parish and town council precepts, given the assertion he made a few moments ago about the proportion of local government spend that would be consumed by the revenue support grant by the end of the decade? He will know that those precepts have gone up as the RSG has gone down, as in many places the council tax has been frozen.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an important point. There have been representations in the past to include parish and town councils in the referendum principles. We have not done that, but we keep it under review so that there is economy in those councils, which is important, because their residents are also council tax payers who pay council tax to his county council.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): County councils and other authorities in the first two years experienced sharper reductions in the revenue support grant, and representations across local government, including Labour authorities, suggested that we should ease the transition. I would say to the hon. Lady’s constituents in Hull that much attention has been paid to that important city through the growth deal that we established, which invested substantially in the area. The prospect of further devolution offers more important opportunities for that city.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): Indeed. That is one of the points that my hon. Friend and other colleagues have made, which is why I have responded by saying that we should look again at that funding formula. It was also a point made by Carl Les who, as my hon. Friend knows, is the excellent leader of North Yorkshire County Council, and I am pleased that we have been able to meet his request.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): The social care precept is recognised across all parties and different types of authorities, even those, including district councils, that do not receive it. Their residents are residents of counties and of metropolitan boroughs, and it is important that funding is there. The combination of the precept and the better care fund provides up to £3.5 billion. I repeat what I have said: the representations that I received before the spending review from the Local Government Association and directors of social services was that they needed £2.9 billion. We have provided £3.5 billion.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Simon James Hoare (Conservative, Centre-right): May I thank my right hon. Friend for his patience and courtesy, and ministerial colleagues and indeed officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government for theirs in their dealings with colleagues from Dorset, including the leader of the county council and me? It is appreciated, and I welcome wholeheartedly today’s announcement from my right hon. Friend. If it was parliamentary, I am sure that rural local government would plant a big, wet kiss on the cheek of the Secretary of State—but I am not entirely sure that that is parliamentary Will my right hon. Friend give further details of the transitional funding for Dorset that he has announced? The devil is in the detail, as always, so will he set out further information on the timing of the welcome review of the assessment of needs? The sooner we can get that sorted out, the better for rural local government.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the additional funding that my right hon. Friend has announced to ease the pace of reductions during two the most difficult years, which in Northumberland seemed to be a really frightening challenge. Will he confirm that the revised settlement means that the position in Northumberland, which continues to have one of the highest populations of elderly people, will be secure?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Government Operations
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I have given some advice to the hon. Gentleman’s neighbour, the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Jonathan Reynolds), on this issue. If the hon. Gentleman would like me to arrange for him to meet Sean Anstee, the leader of Trafford council, I think he would find it a very constructive conversation. In a world of devolution, Trafford may be able to provide some advice and assistance to the hon. Gentleman’s borough council on running an efficient set of services.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Social Welfare
David Arthur Stephen Tredinnick (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the £3.3 million transitional relief for Leicestershire which, as my right hon. Friend knows, has been at the bottom of the funding pile. The transitional relief will be widely welcomed in my constituency. Will my right hon. Friend say a word about the discussions he has had on the funding of adult social care, which very much affects our county?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Gregory David Clark (Conservative, Centre-right): I will indeed. The provisional settlement, as I said in my statement, made a particular response to the acknowledged pressures on adult social care across the country. All tiers of local government cited this as the important priority. The decision to establish the social care precept and the addition to the better care fund were an extremely important step in recognising what has been building up for many years as particular pressures on authorities, and Leicestershire, well run though it is, feels those pressures particularly acutely.
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Angela Eileen Watkinson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Secretary of State for his announcement about transitional relief, which I very much hope the London borough of Havering will benefit from, not just because of its ageing population but because of the increasing demand for children’s services. My right hon. Friend will already know, I am sure, that the 12 inner-London boroughs have more reserves collectively than the 20 outer-London boroughs. Will he reflect further on whether that might be taken into consideration?