argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Budget Resolutions — House of Commons, 2021-11-02
Topic: Technology
Dehenna Sheridan Fareham (Conservative, Centre-right): I reiterate my right hon. Friend’s point about research and development, which is important. Does he agree that investing in R&D and introducing tax incentives for it is the right way to get our economy growing in a future-proof way?
Shipbuilding and Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd Insolvency — House of Commons, 2021-11-02
Topic: Transportation
Iain Aitken Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, although I am afraid it is not for me to intervene on a family feud, if I can put it that way, with the hon. Member for East Lothian. I am well aware that there are traditional courtesies, which should be maintained I am glad to hear that there is optimism in the constituency of the hon. Member for Inverclyde (Ronnie Cowan). I had the pleasure of visiting Greenock—I do believe that I gave him due notice of that—particularly to look at the new ocean liner terminal, which I hope will bring increased tourist footfall to his part of the world It is clear that the UK Government recognise and will show our support for the future of shipbuilding in Scotland through all the means that we have available—namely, in the form of military spending and support Let me turn to the points raised by the hon. Member for East Lothian. I am well aware of the challenges of providing reliable ferry services, particularly to the rural and island communities in Scotland, but when the UK Government have received various representations on the lack of suitable ferries in Scotland, we have been firmly told by the Scottish Government that this is a process for them and not for us.
Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-12-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Elliot Colburn (Conservative, Centre-right): I totally agree. Indeed, I had no intention of opening the can of worms around recreational use, decriminalisation, legalisation, or whatever term we might want to use. I hope that my hon. Friend can rest easy in the knowledge that I will not go there, as they say My constituent said that he would not want to put anyone else through having to seek out black market providers, and that somewhere in the back of his mind was always the worry of being prosecuted, but to him the benefit outweighed the risk tenfold.
Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-12-10
Topic: Technology
Mark Peter Fletcher (Conservative, Centre-right): On both sides of the House, there is a clear demand to see that evidence base come forward. We are sending a very powerful message to companies and manufacturers by saying, "Please provide us with this evidence, because we want to go in the same of direction". My hon. Friend is doing a very good job on that front.
Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-12-10
Topic: Social Welfare
Thomas William Randall (Conservative, Centre-right): This is a point that I hope to address in my own speech, should I have time to make it this afternoon. I know that many Members wish to contribute I spoke in the debate on the Down Syndrome Bill last week. Does my hon. Friend agree that the difference between that Bill—and the Autism Act—and this legislation is that whereas the Down Syndrome Bill was seeking to fill a gap, trying to bring different agencies together to create a common framework because there was obviously a deficiency and they were not working together, this Bill, as I understand it, seeks to duplicate the work of a body that already exists and is already functioning? In that sense, the two Bills are very different and cannot be compared.
Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-12-10
Topic: Law and Crime
Kieran John Mullan (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said, my view is that there is nothing at the moment in any of the legislation or roles of the bodies that we already have in place that restrict them from looking at any particular type of evidence. That is simply not true. They are allowed to look at whatever evidence they choose to look at. It is whether that evidence is there, is available to them and is sufficient.
Medical Cannabis (Access) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-12-10
Topic: Macroeconomics
Kieran John Mullan (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is correct to say that in other circumstances funding and pots of money are sometimes set aside to deliver improvement in a particular area. However, as she says, the Bill is incapable of bringing forward funding in that regard.
Children and Young People with Complex Needs — House of Commons, 2021-12-10
Topic: Social Welfare
Charles Ashley Rupert Walker (Conservative, Centre-right): On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Minister’s Department asked for my speaking notes, which I provided earlier in the week, but barely a question I raised was answered by her. It is not her fault, but I have just had generalities; we got on to social care when I was talking specifically about care for children with a high amount of need. I am confused: what is the point of providing notes to officials in advance of an Adjournment debate if the Minister is not equipped—it is not her fault—with the speech to respond?
Household Support Fund — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): We have made £500 million available across the UK to support vulnerable households this winter. It really is for local authorities, which are closer to their communities, to use the funding to support those with needs for food, utilities and wider essentials. They are best placed to design schemes that support those most in need locally.
Household Support Fund — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Greg Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): The £500 million household support fund is extremely welcome and my local council is busy ensuring that support reaches those who need it through their excellent Helping Hand scheme. Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating Buckinghamshire Council on ensuring that a comprehensive package is available for those who are sadly unable to put food on the table or heat their homes, and will she set out what more can be done to ensure that those in such distressing circumstances know that local authorities have the resources and should be the first port of call?
Household Support Fund — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right to praise Buckinghamshire Council, which was allocated £2.4 million from the fund. It is fair to say that local authorities delivering the household support fund have access to elements relating to health visitors, social workers and housing departments, and access to the benefits system through the Searchlight portal, to identify people who may need help at this time and are most in need. Of course, people should turn to their councils for that support, and they should be warmly welcomed.
Household Support Fund — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Macroeconomics
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady will recognise that some of the announcements made in the Budget recently will, I expect, provide some direct support for people working or, indeed, encourage people into work. However, the £500 million, being a targeted fund, will be a great support, with people identified by local councils that know who to target in this regard. It is also fair to say, as has been said many times, that the uplift was temporary, recognising the situation that we are in, and candidly, it was far more generous than ever happened—or rather, never happened—when we had the 2009-10 financial crisis.
Household Support Fund — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Steven John Baker (Conservative, Centre-right): Like my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham (Greg Smith), I pay tribute to Buckinghamshire Council for all that it has done with the Helping Hand scheme. Does the Secretary of State agree that in a place such as High Wycombe, where riches and poverty are often found so close together, it is imperative that we equip councils to provide local people with the local help that they need?
Household Support Fund — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Government Operations
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I strongly agree. That is why we are working through local authorities, which understand their communities well, without there being blanket schemes. It is important that that is reflected around the country, including in places such as High Wycombe.
State Pension: Payment Delays — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): I am advised that all delayed claims have been processed, except for those that require further customer information. Some 70% to 80% of claims are now made digitally by Get your State Pension, with over 50% being cleared the same day. We are, however, introducing a new tele-claims service that will supplement the paper applications, which we accept have been lengthy and have incurred delays.
State Pension: Payment Delays — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Government Operations
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): We accept that there have been delays, and we have taken significant action in the form of the redeployment of 700 staff to address those. I am pleased that the cases of the two constituents that the hon. Member outlined have now been addressed. The particular problem has been in respect of the receipt of further information from particular applicants, and those matters are being addressed on an ongoing basis.
State Pension: Payment Delays — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): Obviously, the hon. Gentleman did not listen to my earlier answer. This matter was addressed by the end of October. The reality of the situation is that the pandemic has caused delays to state pensions, with issues relating to illness, self-isolation, caring, training, location, staffing, equipment, recruiting. I could go on, but these matters are being addressed.
State Pension: Payment Delays — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): I have heard it all. How on earth the Scottish Government, were they in any event to get independence, would be able to pay ongoing state pensions is a mystery that no Scottish politician has ever been able to answer. The factual reality is that the state pension, by reason of the triple lock, is up £2,000 per person, something that would never happen under an independent Scotland—that is for sure.
Universal Credit Standard Allowance: End of Uplift — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
David Henry Rutley (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government have always been clear that the £20 uplift was a temporary measure. Universal credit recipients in work will soon benefit from the reduction in the taper rate from 63% to 55%, with work allowances increasing by £500 a year, meaning that nearly 2 million working households will keep about an extra £1,000 a year on average.
Universal Credit Standard Allowance: End of Uplift — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
David Henry Rutley (Conservative, Centre-right): With 1 million vacancies and above in the UK and with a comprehensive plan for jobs, our focus absolutely has to be on helping people into work, particularly in the hospitality sector, where there are vacancies. I hope that there might be a vacancy for the hon. Member’s constituent.
Universal Credit Standard Allowance: End of Uplift — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Stephen Crabb (Conservative, Centre-right): May I thank the Minister and especially the Secretary of State for really pushing for the cut to the universal credit taper rate that we saw in the Budget? It will make a real difference to families on low incomes. There are more than 1 million job vacancies right now, plus the Budget measures to strengthen work incentives—cutting the withdrawal rate, boosting the work allowance and increasing the national minimum wage. Does that not all add up to the best opportunity in more than a generation to bear down on long-term unemployment in this country?
Universal Credit Standard Allowance: End of Uplift — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
David Henry Rutley (Conservative, Centre-right): Absolutely. I credit my right hon. Friend: I know that he has been a champion of improving the taper rate over many years, and it was a pleasure to work with him as a Parliamentary Private Secretary when he was Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Now is the time for us to take forward opportunities for people, given the Budget measures that have been put in place, and help long-term unemployed people into work through the sector-based work academy programme and the restart programme, which the employment Minister—the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (Mims Davies)—is taking forward with her characteristic verve and enthusiasm.
Universal Credit Standard Allowance: End of Uplift — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
David Henry Rutley (Conservative, Centre-right): It is always important to have a safety net, but it is also very important to make sure that we get people into the world of work, and that is what our focus is, as I have said repeatedly in my answers today. With 1.1 million vacancies and with a plan for jobs, that has to be our focus.
Universal Credit Standard Allowance: End of Uplift — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
David Henry Rutley (Conservative, Centre-right): We have already provided a range of measures. Eighty-five per cent. of childcare costs are covered by universal credit, and extra support has been provided through the increase in the local housing allowance. So steps are being taken, but I understand my hon. Friend’s point about childcare. Clearly, we need to focus on it further, and we will.
Universal Credit Claimants: Support — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Our plan for jobs provides tailored support for people of all ages, helping them to prepare for, get into and progress in work. The additional 13,500 work coaches whom we have recruited are ensuring that people receive the personalised advice that they need, and have access to the employment programmes or training that are right for them.
Universal Credit Claimants: Support — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I think we have heard across the Chamber that the way out of poverty and the way to make progress is through a pay packet, which gives people so much more than just pay: it gives them the confidence that enables them to make progress and move forward. The hon. Lady will be interested in the report from the in-work commission, to which we will respond shortly. In Scotland, our new programme, job entry: targeted support—JETS—has moved more than 1,500 people into employment since January this year. I think that she has visited her jobcentre, so she should feel confident that there is help out there to ensure that no one is left behind.
Universal Credit Claimants: Support — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Robert Goodwill (Conservative, Centre-right): I recently received a letter from a local bakery which is desperate for 30 people to come and work there. In fact we have hundreds of jobs, in hospitality, agriculture, social care and food processing. While it is disappointing that the Scottish Administration are not creating jobs for people in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, does the Minister agree that those people should come to places in North Yorkshire, such as Scarborough, where they will receive not only a warm welcome, but a great job and a great future?
Universal Credit Claimants: Support — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Long-term unemployment is a devolved matter for the Scottish Government to attend to, but I am delighted that my right hon. Friend has raised this important matter. We at the DWP are organising Hospitality Rocks events to bring people into the industry. It is possible to earn significant sums in a couple of years with the necessary training and support, and people should definitely be taking those jobs in Scarborough and beyond.
Universal Credit Claimants: Support — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady should raise the issue with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, because employee rights are a matter for that Department. However, she has made an important point. We have an employees’ market, with more than 1 million job vacancies, many of them in London. I hope that her constituents will say to that employer, "We are off somewhere else". Whether that is in hospitality or elsewhere, they will receive a warm welcome, and so they should. They should be well rewarded for the work that they do, which is why the increase in the national living wage is so important.
Universal Credit System Resilience: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The universal credit system stood up to the challenge of the pandemic, which meant that people received vital financial support at their time of need. On one day alone we received just over 100,000 new claims, 10 times the average. The old system would not have coped with the unprecedented pressure that we have seen over the past 18 months, and that is yet another reason why universal credit is working.
Universal Credit System Resilience: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Claire Coryl Julia Coutinho (Conservative, Centre-right): During the pandemic, the universal credit system proved not only its resilience but its agility in providing people with the emergency support that they needed. Now that the Government are rightly focusing on getting people back into work, could my right hon. Friend set out the timetable for the very welcome changes that she has made to the universal credit taper rate and to work allowances?
Universal Credit System Resilience: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I was not the only person to cheer loudly when the Chancellor announced to the House that we were increasing work allowances and reducing the taper rate to 55% no later than 1 December. I am pleased to inform my hon. Friend that the latest information I have is that we intend to try to bring that in from 24 November, which means that an extra 500,000 claimants will benefit, even more than might have been predicted just a couple of weeks ago.
Universal Credit System Resilience: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The £20 uplift was a temporary measure reflecting the nature of what happened in the pandemic, and the greatest financial impact was on those who had gone from having earnings to having no earnings at all. We have doubled the number of work coaches and we are striving to help people to get into work, because we know that that is the best way to get on in life. I am sure the hon. Gentleman will welcome the change that happened in the Budget, which shows, perhaps even quicker than initially predicted, that work genuinely pays.
Disabled People: Support in Work — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): The Department delivers national programmes as well as initiatives in partnership with the health system to support disabled people to start, stay and succeed in employment. These include Access to Work and intensive personalised employment support, which continues to provide that support after work has begun.
Disabled People: Support in Work — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising those points, and it is a pleasure to work with her once again; I have done on various topics. The Government previously consulted on reform to statutory sick pay, as she will know, but we did not think that the pandemic was the right time to introduce changes to it, as that would have placed an immediate and direct cost on employers at a very difficult time. Instead, we prioritised changes to the wider welfare system. However, I can assure her that our work on this is ongoing and I look forward to talking to her and others further about this.
Disabled People: Support in Work — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): I look forward to working with the hon. Lady on these vital issues. She is right that our national disability strategy demonstrates our intention to consult on workforce reporting. She asked an additional question about pay gap reporting, but those are two slightly different things. Pay gaps are, of course, caused by a range of factors, and to address them we must ensure that everybody has equal access to opportunities. That will be my passion in this role. I hope she welcomed the disability employment statistics out only last week; they show that some progress is being made, but there is a heck of a lot more to do, and I will be there doing it.
Disabled People: Support in Work — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): That strategy and its implementation will be one of my utmost priorities; I look forward to discussing it in a constructive manner with the hon. Lady and everybody else here today, but I think she may have misread the £1.1 billion in targeted support for those with disabilities that was in the Budget and the spending review last week, which covers access to work, more work coaches and the Work and Health programme.
Disabled People: Support in Work — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady raises a good point, which I will be happy to take away and look into. In general terms, I can say that we made commitments in our Green Paper published in July to improve the assessment process overall, across both the work capability assessment and the PIP assessment. She will also know that we have been using telephone methods through the pandemic and are looking to see what will continue to be the best methods. I look forward to discussing that further with her, and I will take away the point she raises and look into it further.
Disabled People: Support in Work — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Labor
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): We can be rightly proud of delivering record disability employment, but to meet our commitment of 1 million more disabled people in work by 2027, we must expand opportunities through disability apprenticeships, a key commitment within the national disability strategy. Will the Minister confirm that she will continue to press our Department for Education colleagues to ensure we deliver that vital commitment?
Disabled People: Support in Work — House of Commons, 2021-11-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Chloe Rebecca Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): Again, the hon. Lady raises a common-sense point, on something that I will want to make sure is working well in our system. As I said in response to a previous point, we have indicated that we are keen to look at how the assessments in general can be improved. We have that commitment to this House in our Green Paper, published in July, which I will be looking forward to developing further. I can let the House know that we have received more than 4,500 consultation responses to that Green Paper, which gives us a very sound basis for hearing the voices of disabled people and acting on what is needed.