argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: Education
Victoria Mary Boswell Prentis (Conservative, Centre-right): When we are talking about the soft power that we give across the world, does the Minister share my concerns about the teaching of modern languages, particularly in Scotland, where the number of children taking foreign language GCSEs has fallen even further than in the rest of the UK?
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: International Affairs
Simon James Hoare (Conservative, Centre-right): A moment ago, the Minister mentioned NGOs and the work that we do in all parts of the United Kingdom to help and support countries overseas. He also mentioned Venezuela. There is growing concern about an enormous diaspora of need fleeing out of Venezuela, away from the regime there. What role does my right hon. Friend see for those who are working in our NGOs, under the DFID umbrella and elsewhere in ensuring that the philanthropy for which the United Kingdom—including Scotland—is known can come to the fore to provide the help, support and succour that those persecuted people in a communist country now need?
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: International Affairs
Alan James Carter Duncan (Conservative, Centre-right): I hope that Scotland, in looking at the priorities it sets for the deployment of its soft power resources, can appreciate that Venezuela is rising up the ladder of need and desperation. Scotland has a very close development programme association with Malawi, which I supported when I was an International Development Minister. It was of a scale that Scotland could sensibly do, and there were therefore results. It is very important, when having a development plan, to make sure that when we put the money in, we really do get the results out and get effective outcomes.
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: Macroeconomics
Alan James Carter Duncan (Conservative, Centre-right): I have to confess that I am not the world’s greatest expert on the 1955 double taxation agreement, but I note what the hon. Gentleman says. Whether it is immediately pertinent to the debate is beyond me. [Interruption.] He says that it is. However, I will, if I may, confess to less knowledge about the taxation agreement than he would wish—although he probably wishes that I knew even less.
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: International Affairs
Mark Andrew Menzies (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is right to raise the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. Will he pay tribute to the Scots who are actively involved within our diplomatic mission in Bogotá? The deputy head of mission and the head of our prosperity fund are two Scots among many who are playing their role at the forefront of the emerging crisis of the Venezuelan refugees seeking refuge in Colombia and beyond.
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: International Affairs
Alan James Carter Duncan (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I know there will be a further chance to discuss this tomorrow in Foreign Office questions, but it is a matter of deep seriousness. I have had Scottish Members of Parliament come to see me particularly about the Colombian peace process. They feel that they can have a significant influence on that peace process by imparting some of their experience in the area and by using NGOs and working with them to do something. The Colombian peace process is facing some threats and difficulties. Around the region, there is a danger of further disintegration because of Venezuela. Countries next door to it have received hundreds of thousands of people—in some cases, more than 1 million—who are fleeing an utterly man-made economic crisis.
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: International Affairs
Alan James Carter Duncan (Conservative, Centre-right): I could, but my negotiating skills are such that I did not negotiate a route taking it from Brazil to Argentina via Scotland. Mr Deputy Speaker, we will of course speak directly to the topic at hand, and we respect your judgment that we should continue to talk about Scotland’s foreign policy footprint.
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: Technology
Kirstene Janette Hair (Conservative, Centre-right): To go back to the point about great inventors from Scotland, does my right hon. Friend share my pride in Robert Watson-Watt, who was a lead in developing radar and comes from my constituency—in fact, my home town of Brechin?
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: International Affairs
Alexander John Gervase Chalk (Conservative, Centre-right): Scotland’s power and influence are best projected as part of the United Kingdom; that is the view of Government Members. There are lessons from history. Before the Act of Union, in the 1690s, the Kingdom of Scotland sought to establish a colony in Panama under the Darien scheme, and that did not work very well. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is as a Union that we have been able to project more power, and more power for Scotland?
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: International Affairs
Mark Andrew Menzies (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is right to have mentioned Latin America on a number of occasions. One very prominent Scot whom we have not mentioned is Thomas Cochrane, the 10th Earl of Dundonald, who was actually the founder of the armada de Chile—the Chilean navy—which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this month. Without that Scot playing his role historically in Latin America, the Chilean navy would not be as it is today, and a hugely important part of the United Kingdom’s relationship would be much weaker as a result.
Scotland’s Foreign Policy Footprint — House of Commons, 2018-12-03
Topic: International Affairs
Alan James Carter Duncan (Conservative, Centre-right): The House may be pleased to know that I can press down on the accelerator a little and need not delay the Scottish National party much longer In what I hope is a proper answer to the speech of the hon. Member for North East Fife, let me say that we host offices of the devolved Administrations in several countries, and work closely with their trade and investment representatives in many more. This ensures that they have an effective platform for engaging on devolved matters, if they wish to do so. It also allows them to contribute their perspectives and expertise in delivering the UK’s broader agenda for the bilateral relationship with those countries In formulating foreign policy, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office draws on the principles of what is called open policy making. That is about broadening the range of people we engage with, and the quality of that engagement. That is why, when developing the UK policy on the Arctic earlier this year, we consulted all the devolved Administrations and worked particularly closely with the Scottish Government, who are formulating their own Arctic strategy We are working hard to strengthen our partnership with the devolved nations. In the build-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting earlier this year, my ministerial colleague, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, spent time in both Scotland and Wales seeking views on strengthening the Commonwealth. In addition, over the last two years, more than 100 senior Foreign Office officials, including new and existing ambassadors, have held meetings in the devolved nations to share expertise and strengthen relationships Let me conclude by making it clear that the Government remain absolutely committed to devolution, which we believe strengthens our Union. Our four nations each have distinct capabilities and strengths, which we recognise, celebrate and put to work to the benefit of all citizens of this United Kingdom and to support and promote the values that unite us all. These values of tolerance, democracy, equality and fairness are at the heart of the Government’s work, at home and aboard. We are united by these values, and by our common purpose of serving the needs of all our people, wherever they live on these islands. Let us be proud of our individual strengths, and even prouder that we can achieve great things when, together, we harness those strengths for the benefit of all Question put and agreed to.
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): We are now running significantly more services on Northern than we were prior to May, but I am aware that there are continuing performance issues, particularly this month. In September, with Transport for the North, which jointly manages this franchise with my Department, I appointed leading industry figure Richard George to co-ordinate the efforts of the train operators and Network Rail to improve the reliability of services in the north. Richard is also working with industry and TfN to examine the significant increase in services which the operators committed to in December 2019. It is essential that these changes are realistic and deliverable, given the need for rail operators to provide a reliable service to passengers.
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I would make two points. First, the IPPR keeps using misleading comparators. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority figures, which are the official figures prepared for the Government, have already shown that, per capita, the north is currently receiving and will over the coming years be receiving more expenditure per head of population than the south Of course, in the north—the hon. Lady’s area—the flagship programme for the next five years on rail, the trans-Pennine upgrade, is the most substantial anywhere in the country. Her constituency is also benefiting from increased services on the route to Knottingley I accept that there have been some real issues with the TransPennine Express on the route to Scarborough. Those are things that need to be addressed. There are performance issues that are not good enough. It is not a question of having a tin ear. We are actively working to try to improve things on a network that is delivering more services, rather than fewer, and in which substantial investment is happening. One of the frustrations is that the timetable problems in the north this year were triggered by an investment programme that was delayed.
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my right hon. Friend ensure that we get a full picture of this? Will he ensure that we see what new trains were being made available in the north between 1997 and 2010, and between 2010 and let us say 2020, so that we can see the investment that is going on by the Government in the north?
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend makes an important point and I pay tribute to him for ensuring the investment programme that is currently taking place. The reality is that, in that decade, there were no new trains in the north and no investment: the Labour party let a standstill franchise on the northern rail network. It is this Government who are renewing every single train in the north of England and it is long overdue.
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): That is precisely why I say that I am not satisfied with the current performance issues. That is why we have appointed Richard George to understand why the service is not performing adequately. It is of course hampered by the fact that some of the performance issues recently have been caused by the elderly Pacer trains, which are being phased out, starting in the coming weeks. However, we need to do everything we can and we will continue to do everything we can, in partnership with Transport for the North, to identify the ways of getting performance up. It is not simply a question of changing ownership of the franchise or control of the franchise. There is not a magic team down the corridor waiting to step in and make this work better. We have got to make it work better.
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Robert Goodwill (Conservative, Centre-right): As we have heard, TransPennine passengers to and from Scarborough have had to endure a summer of delays. Indeed, because of drivers’ hours, many trains have been terminated at York, leaving passengers waiting an hour for the following service, if it is not also delayed. Although there has been some improvement, when are we likely to see a return to normality?
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely sympathise with people in Scarborough. Of course, we are introducing additional services to Scarborough in the coming months, so that there will be a Northern service there as well. The work that Richard George is doing to look at why these performance issues are happening is similar to the work we did with Chris Gibb on Southern, which has led to an improvement in performance on that network, and I am absolutely clear that we have to deal with the issues that he highlights.
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman makes that argument regularly, but the devolution of Network Rail was not recommended in the report produced on devolution in Scotland. Given the SNP’s less-than-good record in running other services in Scotland, it escapes me why he thinks that devolving Network Rail would make a difference to train services in Scotland.
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I have not set any limits on that approach. I have asked the panel to consider the question of devolution, as well as how we can improve the workings of the railways. It is no secret that in my view we need a more joined-up railway to meet the challenges of a system that is under intense pressure. The Government are investing record amounts in infrastructure upgrades, including spending money in Scotland, and that is in addition to using the Barnett formula, which is the norm for the allocation of funds to Scotland. We have a railway that is bursting at the seams, and it needs to work better if it is to deal with the pressures on it.
Train Services in the North — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I am the Secretary of State who has planned over the next five years for 50% of the rail enhancement budget that the Government are putting in place to be spent in the north—on upgrading the east coast main line, on the trans-Pennine upgrade and on other schemes that will make a real difference. When Labour Members were in government they did none of that, so you will forgive me, Mr Speaker, if I take no lessons from the Labour party about investment in transport in the north. We are getting on with delivering it.
South Western Railway and National Rail Review — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): The South Western Railway performance review was published on 10 September 2018. It was independently chaired by Sir Michael Holden, and SWR and Network Rail are already working to implement its conclusions. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the former rail Minister met representatives from South Western Railway and the Network Rail Wessex route on 24 October to review their progress in implementing the performance review. They are on track to complete delivery of all the recommendations in that review, a number of which are already complete, and all short-term recommendations will be complete by the end of this year.
South Western Railway and National Rail Review — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Ranil Malcolm Jayawardena (Conservative, Centre-right): May I welcome my hon. Friend’s return to the Front Bench? Although my constituents will welcome the review, they are furious about the terrible disruption across South Western Railway on "mayhem Monday" this week, with seemingly no contingency plans and diabolical communication. Will my hon. Friend ensure that South Western Railway and Network Rail are held to account and made to learn lessons from this week’s mess, especially given the planned Network Rail engineering works this Sunday?
South Western Railway and National Rail Review — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): That incident was utterly unacceptable—there is no question about that—and I am not surprised that my hon. Friend’s constituents are furious about it. The Secretary of State spoke to Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, at 7 o’clock on Monday morning, and he made clear his dissatisfaction with the incident and demanded action. Network Rail has started an independent investigation to look at how the work was planned and delivered, and how the resulting disruption was managed. It has already made management changes, and new leadership on the Wessex route will start next week. South Western Railway also has lessons to learn, and it must review its communications with its customers. That part is critical and it failed on Monday. It must do far better.
South Western Railway and National Rail Review — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Desmond Angus Swayne (Conservative, Centre-right): Welcome back, but—I have had some pretty miserable experiences on that train line, but they are as nothing compared with how ghastly it must be to be rail Minister. Does my hon. Friend think that that might have contributed to his predecessor’s resignation?
South Western Railway and National Rail Review — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): That question is flawed, Mr Speaker. There is nothing ghastly at all about being the rail Minister, and I cannot understand where my right hon. Friend is coming from. I think the reasons for my predecessor’s departure are already documented elsewhere.
South Western Railway and National Rail Review — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister’s portfolio grows by the day. He previously served the House and the nation with distinction as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for buses, so from bus to rail really is an impressive CV, it has to be said. [Laughter.] Well, it is.
Train Timetable Changes — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): We recognise the appalling disruption that some passengers experienced following the May timetable introduction. We have to be very clear that this cannot be repeated. The final Glaister report, providing recommendations on future changes that can be made to prevent disruption at timetable changes, will be published shortly. We are also working closely with the rail industry to provide a seriously enhanced level of assurance on planned timetable changes in December 2018 and May 2019.
Train Timetable Changes — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): The latter point is extremely important. It is not good enough to have Network Rail too focused on engineering and not focused enough on passengers. It is one of the problems in the rail industry and why we have already started to work towards a more joined-up railway through an alliance structure. As I said with the announcement of the rail review, that is an essential part of delivering the much more substantial change that is necessary, given what happened this summer.
Train Timetable Changes — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Jeremy John Elton Lefroy (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend appreciate that it is not just timetable changes that are important, although they have been improved on lines from London to Stafford, but the number of coaches on the trains? On the London Northwestern railway—the LNWR—we are seeing very good services, but the trains are too short, with four carriages, instead of eight. Will he have a look at that?
Train Timetable Changes — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I will certainly have a look and the rail Minister will be happy to talk to my hon. Friend about that. We are supporting a programme of substantial investment in new rolling stock all around the country, which will benefit passengers. New coaches will be arriving on the LNWR franchise, but we could certainly have a discussion about where they are serving.
Train Timetable Changes — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): We would dispute that we have done anything to disadvantage Sheffield to help Govia Thameslink Railway. We are of course doing a massive upgrade programme on the midland main line. I pay tribute to all those involved in the recent Derby station remodelling. Many projects have gone badly wrong; that did not. It was handled very well. Further improvements are happening up and down that line, as part of the biggest modernisation programme on that route since Victorian times. That work will continue. We will do everything to make sure, if we can, that the timetable remains as intact as possible as those changes happen.
Train Timetable Changes — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Paul Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Is there any advice that the Secretary of State can give to the Welsh Transport Minister? Changes to the franchise and timetable changes have resulted this week in the chief operating officer coming out with a statement saying that too many trains have been cancelled, delayed or have arrived late, with fewer carriages than normal—and that is under a Labour Government.
Train Timetable Changes — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend puts his finger on the nub of the issue. The Labour party says, "If we just wave our magic wand, it will all be fine." The reality is that we have a deeply congested railway facing big operational challenges. We are investing substantial amounts in it but—he points out the situation in Wales—there are no magic solutions anywhere in the country, under any Government.
Train Timetable Changes — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): What the hon. Gentleman needs are policies that invest money in rail in the north to deliver—as I know is happening at his station—new trains to replace long out-of-date trains and provide more services for passengers. That is what we are aiming to do and what we are doing.
Local Roads — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Alexander Jesse Norman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Department for Transport is providing over £6.6 billion to local highway authorities in England between 2015 and 2021 to improve the condition of local roads. That includes a £296 million pothole action fund and the additional £420 million for local highways maintenance announced in Budget 2018.
Local Roads — House of Commons, 2018-11-22
Topic: Transportation
Alan Mak (Conservative, Centre-right): Many councils now use technology to enable residents to report road-related problems. Will my hon. Friend encourage the greater use of digital apps and technology tools to make councils more accountable for the road issues in their area?