argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful for the opportunity to update the House on my progress towards restoring the Northern Ireland Executive and the other institutions established under the Belfast agreement In recent weeks, I have met the Northern Ireland parties and the Irish Government on a number of occasions. In those discussions, all five main parties reaffirmed their commitment to restoring a power-sharing Executive and the other political institutions set out in the Belfast agreement Although we have not yet been able to start a formal talks process, I believe that the five main parties and the Irish Government would be in favour of taking forward a short, focused set of roundtable talks to restore devolution at the earliest opportunity. Any such talks process will involve the UK Government, the five main parties and the Irish Government taking place in full accordance with the well-established three-stranded approach As you know, Mr Speaker, the period for Executive formation was extended by the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018, which lasts until 26 March this year. I am incredibly reluctant to extend that period. The people of Northern Ireland deserve strong political leadership from a locally elected, accountable devolved Government and I am absolutely focused on achieving that outcome. But as we stand here today, there are only three options before the legislation expires next week. The first is an Assembly election, which is a costly exercise that would be highly unlikely to change the political dynamics. The second is an alternative approach to decision making in Northern Ireland, such as direct rule, which I do not believe is in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland—certainly they tell me that it is not what they want The third option is to extend the Act. This gives the political parties more space to come back together in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland. It also provides the Northern Ireland civil service with the certainty and clarity that they need to continue to deliver public services in the absence of Ministers I have today laid before Parliament a statutory instrument to extend the period for the Act from 26 March 2019 to 25 August 2019. This means that from 26 August this year I will fall under the duty to propose a date for an Assembly election. Both Houses will have the opportunity to debate the instrument in the usual way, and the instrument cannot remain in force unless actively approved by both Houses.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): I have to say I am very disappointed by the hon. Gentleman’s tone—he is someone I respect and have enormous time for I was incredibly disappointed when I saw that my conversations with political parties yesterday had been put out in press releases and ended up on social media. That was not the intention. I made this decision having consulted all five main parties—I spoke to them all yesterday, either face to face or over the telephone—and I also spoke to the Irish Government, and when I had consulted all those parties and said that I was minded to extend the legislation, but only if there was any prospect or possibility of the parties coming together, and they confirmed to me that that was the case, I contacted the hon. Gentleman. I, too, am disappointed that information was on social media before I had had the chance to contact him, but I assure him that I contacted him at the very earliest opportunity after I had made my decision based on my conversations with the parties I do meet the parties regularly, I do speak to them and I do hear from them. I brought the parties together in five-party talks to see whether we could find a way to get a process in place. Parties tell me that they want to do that, so I intend to spend the next few weeks working with them on actions that can be taken so that, when we are able to start a formal talks process, we are able to do so in a way that gives us the best chance of success The hon. Gentleman is right that two years is too long for the people of Northern Ireland to be without Ministers. I know that the parties want to find a way to go back into Stormont, and I want to do everything in my power to ensure that that happens. That is why, extremely reluctantly, I have laid the instrument today—an instrument that he will have 90 minutes to debate on the Floor of the House, and can vote against if he disagrees with it The hon. Gentleman says that he wants to see devolution restored in Northern Ireland, yet he consistently undermines that position by demanding that decisions are taken in Westminster—the very opposite of devolution. He also says that he wants to see Northern Ireland protected in Brexit, but he consistently votes against the only position that protects the Belfast agreement—the deal that is supported by his sister party in Northern Ireland, which would ensure that Northern Ireland does not move into chaos and would not wreck the prospects of any devolution in Northern Ireland. If he wants to start taking actions that match his words, he should do the right thing for Northern Ireland and vote for the deal next week.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Andrew William Murrison (Conservative, Centre-right): I fully understand the need to table the written ministerial statement, but it states quite clearly that the proposed talks should be "short" and "focused", and I assume that that is more than rhetorical. However, my experience of talks in Northern Ireland is that they are neither short nor particularly focused. Will the Secretary of State explain a little bit more about her thinking on the matter, as what she has written seems to suggest that there is a specific bone of contention within the current impasse in Northern Ireland that can be resolved through the short and focused talks that she envisages?
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Chair of the Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs, whom I also notified of the decision yesterday. The reason for the comment about short and focused talks is that I genuinely believe that there is a will to re-establish devolved government. A number of issues need to be resolved, but we will ensure that work is done before the talks start. Let me be clear that I do not want to mislead people in Northern Ireland to think that a talks process will have success if I do not believe that it will. I will therefore only call that talks process if I believe that there will be success, but I believe that the issues can be dealt with through a short, focused process, and that is what I intend to bring forward.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): There is definitely not dictatorship from this House towards Northern Ireland. I am completely committed to devolution and all the institutions established under the Belfast agreement, and that is what we want to see restored as soon as possible. I would expect the talks to be five-party talks, because the best thing for Northern Ireland is for the five main parties to be involved in the talks and then to be able to form an Executive. In terms of a date, as soon as there is more information I will of course return to this House to update it, as I always do The hon. Gentleman is right that there is a very strong role for the Irish Government. It is quite clear that the two Governments have been involved in all talks processes that have been successful, and we would of course ensure that they were involved. On an independent mediator, I rule nothing out. I am looking at a number of options as to how we might restart the talks in such a way as to have the best success The hon. Gentleman talked about Brexit being a distraction. I think that perhaps the bigger distraction in Northern Ireland at the moment is the local elections, for which we will be going into purdah next week.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Government Operations
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Robert John Blackman (Conservative, Centre-right): I think the whole House will want to see a return to devolved government in Northern Ireland, and we wish the Secretary of State well in these discussions. What would the consequences have been had she not taken the difficult but required decision to lay this statutory instrument to enable her to continue the powers that she has?
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Government Operations
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): The reason for the legislation in the first place was that we need to ensure that there is some political cover for civil servants taking decisions. We want to make sure that public services continue to run and that civil servants can take decisions. They cannot change the law and they cannot take major policy decisions, but it is very important that they are able to take decisions on infrastructure, funding for schools and hospitals and so on. The alternative to extending the legislation is, as I set out earlier, one of two things: either a fundamental change in the way that decision making takes place in Northern Ireland—a step that I do not believe is in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland—or the requirement to call an election, which is a very costly exercise that I do not think would see any fundamental change to the political dynamic there.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question. I am aware that he probably has an aeroplane to catch, so I will not detain him any longer than need be. I am looking at what we can do over the next few weeks to get the parties together to start the dialogue and to make sure that when a talks process does start, it has the best possible chance of succeeding.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Government Operations
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Lady knows—she pushed very hard for this—there is transparency on decisions through reports laid in this place on decisions that have been taken. However, I will look at the points she has made and see whether such further work can be done.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): With specific reference to the moneys secured under the confidence and supply arrangement, those moneys are being released as appropriate by the Treasury, and they are included within the Northern Ireland budget. We legislated two weeks ago to put the 2018-19 budget on a statutory footing, and we will of course do so for the 2019-20 budget later on. Clearly this is not a good situation, and none of us wants to be in this situation, but it is the least worst of the options that are available to us.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with the right hon. Gentleman; I want him to continue to be the very last direct rule Minister for Northern Ireland, and I am determined that we achieve that. But he will know, from his great experience, that St Andrews was the culmination of work that had happened with the parties to bring them together. A lot of work happened before that short, intensive period of talks. I am looking at what work we can do before we bring together the parties in that short, focused talks period.
Northern Ireland Assembly Election — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement regarding the extension of her power under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 not to hold an Assembly election.
Karen Anne Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): As Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, I am independent of what happens with regard to relationships on voting—those are a matter for Whips—but I am looking at all the options for how we can have success. When I have seen a willingness and a desire to restore devolution, I do not want to bring the parties together and fail to do so. We need to ensure that we have the best chance of doing it, and I will look at all options to ensure that that happens.
Services for People with Autism — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Social Welfare
Huw William Merriman (Conservative, Centre-right): I beg to move, That this House has considered services for people with autism Every year, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Dame Cheryl Gillan), in her role as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on autism, moves a motion along the lines: "That this House notes that World Autism Awareness Week runs from 1 April to 7 April; observes that autistic people continue to face a number of barriers to full participation in society; notes that it is 10 years since the Autism Act became law; and calls on the Government to improve support for children and adults on the autism spectrum, and ensure that the Autism Act is fully implemented across the country." My right hon. Friend cannot be with us today. She has asked me to explain that a close family member is critically ill and that she cannot leave their side. Though you, Mr Deputy Speaker, I send the love of this House to our right hon. Friend. She is a formidable champion of this cause, and someone to whom many of us have turned in our own hour of need. The best tribute that I can pay to her is to deliver the speech that she prepared and would have made today. These are her words: "I welcome the Minister to the Front Bench and look forward to hearing what she has to say. My thanks to the Backbench Business Committee for granting this debate as we look forward to World Autism Awareness Week, a full seven days when people across the UK take part in activities to raise awareness of autism. I also thank the National Autistic Society for its ongoing support for the all-party parliamentary group on autism Hon. Members will be aware of my long-standing commitment to improving the lives of people on the autism spectrum, most notably through my role in spearheading the introduction of the Autism Act 2009—which has now been on the statute book for 10 years I was proud to introduce that Bill that became the only Act—which is the only Act dedicated to improving support and services for one disability. It was a landmark in the battle to improve the lives of autistic adults and their families. As a result of the Act, there has been a fundamental shift in how policy is developed and delivered for adults on the autism spectrum. For the first time, legal duties were placed on councils and the NHS to provide support to autistic adults in their local areas. In addition, the Act placed a responsibility on the Government to produce the national autism strategy, to set out its vision—and, importantly, to keep that strategy under review."
Services for People with Autism — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Social Welfare
Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous (Conservative, Centre-right): Like my hon. Friend I pay huge tribute to our right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Dame Cheryl Gillan) and all that she has done on the issue for so long. I am listening carefully to my hon. Friend’s excellent speech, and I wonder what he would say to a constituent who wrote to me about her son. She writes: "My son is 21 years old and since leaving education has had nothing to do. He is not disabled enough to qualify for benefits but he is not able to compete for a job. He is caught in the middle." What more does my hon. Friend think we can do to help people like that young man with their future?
Services for People with Autism — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Social Welfare
Huw William Merriman (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his words and for championing his constituents. As he rightly says, some autistic people tend to fall through the gaps. Of course, all local authorities have a responsibility to take note when it comes to autism. We see individuals who are on the autism spectrum but are not receiving help because they might be outside a defined period. The extension of plans up to the age of 25 will go some way towards addressing that, but we still see people falling through the gaps. I will touch on some of the other areas that might address his concerns, or I will at least make calls to those on the Front Bench My right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham continues: "This year, it falls on the Government once again to review its strategy and identify what more needs to be done Each of us has about 1,000 people on the autism spectrum in our constituencies and it affects one in 100 people. We each will have many autistic people and their family members contacting us to ask for our help on areas from education to adult support, diagnosis to employment..."
Services for People with Autism — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Education
Huw William Merriman (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. Time and again we see that young people have to fail before they can be given the support they need. There are many examples of young people clearly failing when they go to a pre-school, but then they still have to move on to a mainstream school, where they will fail, before they can be given support. It should be blindingly obvious, and councils should look at those plans before children have to start primary school. Often councils say that they are not required to do that, but perhaps they do not know what their obligations really are.
Services for People with Autism — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Education
Huw William Merriman (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is absolutely right. A couple of years ago I was very proud to co-author the "Autism and education" report, which she also worked on. It showed many worrying statistics. For example, one in two teachers just did not have the confidence to teach autistic children. Unsurprisingly, 50% of autistic children had a miserable time at school and were not looked at The hon. Lady is right to give credit to the parents, who are on an incredible journey and are struggling themselves. Battling for the support that they need at the same time as providing care is emotionally draining. We all work with those parents, and we have so much respect for them.
Services for People with Autism — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Social Welfare
Huw William Merriman (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman has put it beautifully. As he probably knows, a recent survey showed that 50% of autistic individuals and families were scared to go out, and did not go out, because they were worried about how they would be judged. That isolation is a huge challenge for us.
Services for People with Autism — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Social Welfare
Huw William Merriman (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that we all face a real challenge. At a time when local authorities are themselves having to watch their budgets, it is the altruistic services—the support services—that tend to go. The challenge I face is that as authorities look just at their statutory obligations, they may end up spending more money to deliver those than they spent on some of the support services beforehand. I have every sympathy with the point that the hon. Lady has made.
Services for People with Autism — House of Commons, 2019-03-21
Topic: Education
Philip Martin Dunne (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is making an exceptionally powerful speech, and I applaud his role as chairman of the all-party group. It is particularly impressive that he has been able to pick up the role in this debate of my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Dame Cheryl Gillan) in her absence Returning to the question of education, my hon. Friend touched on the subject of young people a moment ago. Does he agree that the Government’s recent announcement of an additional 37 schools across the country to provide special needs support for people, including those on the autistic spectrum, is a welcome recognition of the challenges presented to our education system by the increasing prevalence, regrettably, of autism across our communities I would like to highlight one story in my constituency that points out the need for such schools. It involves a mother of two autistic children, both of whom have to be schooled over 100 miles away from Ludlow, in the heart of my constituency, where she lives. She has campaigned with a local charity and not-for-profit group to open a new school—Overton school, just outside Ludlow, which is currently awaiting its Ofsted accreditation—partly so that other families who have to deal with the same circumstances will not have to travel 100 miles to visit their children.