argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
SMEs: Kent and Medway — House of Commons, 2017-01-31
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Hannah Mary Bardell (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): You can be assured of that, Mr Speaker The SMEs in Kent and Medway need someone in government to fight their corner. In July 2015, they were promised a small business commissioner who would focus particularly on late payments. The Federation of Small Businesses and others have raised concerns about the lack of power that the commissioner will have, and the fact that 18 months after the position was created, there is no sign of a commissioner. Will the Minister tell SMEs in Kent and Medway, for which I have the greatest regard, and others throughout the country when the commissioner will be appointed, and whether he or she will have proper powers to ensure that companies that do not pay are taken to task?
European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill — House of Commons, 2017-01-31
Topic: Other
Stephen Patrick Gethins (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Scottish people had an opportunity to discuss and debate it. It is a great pity that the hon. Gentleman does not trust the people enough to give them some details, and campaigned on a blank page Let me gently remind the House that this is a big deal. We are not just divvying up the Nana Mouskouri records or the "Borgen" box sets. This will have an impact on each and every one of us. We published the details, and we can reflect on that. You do not have the courage of your convictions.
European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill — House of Commons, 2017-01-31
Topic: Mixed Topics
Stephen Patrick Gethins (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Scottish Government plans have won praise from stakeholders and European partners across the spectrum. They would maintain our place in the single market, give new powers to the Scottish Parliament—as suggested by the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove)—and ensure that EU nationals can continue to stay On that point I will give way to the hon. Member for South East Cornwall (Mrs Murray).
European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill — House of Commons, 2017-01-31
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): When the Prime Minister this week refused three times to condemn an obvious breach of not just this country’s values but any liberal democracy’s values, what part of great British values was she standing up for?
European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill — House of Commons, 2017-01-31
Topic: Immigration
William Arthur Roger Mullin (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): It would be very churlish of me not to recognise some of the contributions from those on the Government Benches. In particular, I wish to mention the speeches of the hon. Member for North East Somerset (Mr Rees-Mogg) and the many contributions and interventions of the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove). Those two individuals have probably done more to progress the cause of Scottish independence than anyone else today I voted, of course, with my colleagues against this ill-thought out and vastly underprepared referendum. Not only that, but, at the time, my colleagues and I said that, if there was to be a referendum, we wanted the maximum franchise possible, and this Government did the reverse. They denied the vote to the people whose future is most at stake—the 16 to 18-year-olds. Of particular concern to us at the time were the EU nationals, who were refused a vote in the referendum, but who had been allowed a vote in the Scottish referendum. I think that I was the first Member of this House to raise the issue of EU nationals Before the vote took place, a horrific immigration debate was unleashed, which bordered at times on xenophobia. I talked to two of my constituents, who said that they felt so upset at the whole process that they were leaving the country the week before the vote and were deciding their future. Sadly for me, they are selling their house and leaving Scotland for good. They should have been welcomed here. What happened after the people who made the immigration argument had won? Their leader horsed off to help a president get elected in the United States, pushing the same kind of vicious immigration xenophobic debate that got that man Trump elected On this of all days, we should remember a different Republican president. On this day in 1865, the House of Representatives of the United States passed the 13th amendment to the constitution, abolishing slavery in America. The amendment read: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude…shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." There was a statesman—Abraham Lincoln! I will end with some of Abraham Lincoln’s favourite lines, which will be recognised by many and that he carried with him all his life: "Then let us pray that come it may, (As come it will for a’ that), That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth, Shall bear the gree an’ a’ that For a’ that an’ a’ that, It’s coming yet for a’ that, That Man to Man, the world o’er, Shall brothers be for a’ that."
Leaving the EU: Justice — House of Commons, 2017-01-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Joanna Catherine Cherry (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Because civil and criminal justice are devolved, the triggering of article 50 will have major implications for the rights and freedoms of people in Scotland. Does the Secretary of State accept, therefore, that the Sewel convention will be engaged, and does she agree with the Supreme Court’s judgment this morning that the Sewel convention has an important role in facilitating harmonious relationships between the UK Parliament and the devolved legislature?
Human Rights Act 1998 — House of Commons, 2017-01-24
Topic: Civil Rights
Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): In September, the Secretary of State said that she was expecting to meet the Scottish Justice Minister to discuss the repeal of the Human Rights Act in Scotland. How does she plan to guarantee that the proposed British Bill of Rights will not compromise the autonomy of the Scottish legal system?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2017-01-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Deidre Leanne Brock (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Secretary of State has been gallivanting with City of London law firms of late, most recently on Thursday in Fleet Street, promising to put English law at the forefront of the attempts to create global Britain. Does she think that English law is superior to Scots law? What efforts is she making to promote the international interests of law firms from across the UK, and will firms not in the City of London get the same consideration as the firms in that one square mile?
Article 50 — House of Commons, 2017-01-24
Topic: Mixed Topics
Neil Charles Gray (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given that a legislative consent motion is now apparently a political decision and there is no impediment to the Government bringing one forward, will the Secretary of State advise us whether the Government had a legislative consent contingency in place before the Supreme Court ruling and why on earth he would rule out bringing one forward now?
Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioner for England (Appointment) — House of Commons, 2017-01-24
Topic: Other
William Arthur Roger Mullin (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): We want to commend the recruitment process that has led to this appointment. I always think that the best way to measure how effective any process is is to look at the outcome. Any reasonable person looking at the track record of Rob Behrens will recognise that tribute must be paid to all those involved in this process. When we look at his track record in South Africa or Europe, as has been mentioned, and the range of areas in which he has worked, from higher education to the law, and when we look not only at how he has discharged his roles, but at how in so many of them he has conducted studies and produced reports that have been meaningful and influential, we can all wish him well for the future with great confidence Question put and agreed to.
Green Investment Bank — House of Commons, 2017-01-11
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Minister refused to name the bidders for the Green Investment Bank, but went on to tell us that private companies were saying that they wanted to buy the bank because of its success. Will the Minister tell us which private companies were saying that, or did he make up the quotation?
Taxation — House of Commons, 2017-01-18
Topic: Housing
Neil Charles Gray (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Again we have heard erroneous claims that Scotland is somehow the highest-taxed part of the United Kingdom. In actual fact, the average cost of a band D council tax property in Scotland is lower than in England. Will the Minister now welcome the Scottish Government’s approach to council tax policy in Scotland?
Immigration — House of Commons, 2017-01-18
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): We know that about 180,000 EU nationals make a hugely valuable contribution to the Scottish economy and that Governments such as Canada’s and Australia’s successfully apply different immigration rules to different parts of their countries. Going beyond warm words, will the Secretary of State listen carefully to proposals for a different arrangement for Scotland, allowing EU citizens freedom to continue to come and live and work there, benefiting us all?
Leaving the EU: Security, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice — House of Commons, 2017-01-18
Topic: Mixed Topics
Thomas Sheppard (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Would it not enhance the discussions taking place at the JMC if there were discussions between Ministers in his Department and their counterparts in Scotland in order to prepare some of the detail of these very particular matters?
Flooding: Ribble Valley — House of Commons, 2017-01-18
Topic: Public Lands
Richard Arkless (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The hon. Gentleman’s heartfelt and passionate speech reminds me of what happened in my constituency a year ago. On the subject of businesses being affected by floods, many businesses in Newton Stewart in my constituency now face excesses of more than £15,000 and cannot get cost-effective insurance. Will he join me in trying to persuade the Association of British Insurers to extend the Flood Re scheme to small businesses? At present that scheme covers only individuals, so it is of no solace to small businesses that stand on the edge of a precipice.
Flood Defence Schemes — House of Commons, 2017-01-19
Topic: Public Lands
Richard Arkless (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Happy birthday to you, Mr Speaker. Many small businesses across the UK that operate in flood risk areas are facing enormous flood insurance excesses. Will the Ministers please commit to persuading the Treasury to extend the Flood Re scheme for affordable insurance to small businesses? If there are floods again not only will individual companies go out of business; many high streets in my constituency might actually disappear.
Holocaust Memorial Day — House of Commons, 2017-01-19
Topic: Civil Rights
Lisa Cameron (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I thank the Backbench Business Committee and the hon. Member for Hove (Peter Kyle) for enabling this extremely important debate to happen in the House and across the country. I declare an interest in that I am a member of the all-party parliamentary group against anti-Semitism Holocaust Memorial Day is vital. We must learn from the past and educate for the future. There can be no excuses for anti-Semitism or any other form of racism or prejudice. I congratulate the Holocaust Educational Trust and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for their invaluable work supporting holocaust education, remembrance and research, which is recognised both nationally and internationally. The Home Affairs Committee recently produced a comprehensive report on anti-Semitism in the UK, and I urge the Minister and all parties to take appropriate cognisance of it Genocide does not happen out of the blue. There is a gradual process of victimisation, discrimination, hatred, words, actions, maligning, inferences and looking the other way. That leads to psychological distancing, and then to dehumanisation. That is the path to genocide I will never forget reading the diary of Anne Frank when I was at school and later visiting the site of her home in Amsterdam, where she and her family hid for two years before being discovered and arrested in 1944. I recall reading of her childhood pain that she could not go outside, of the lack of food and of her abject fear for herself and for her family, and then visiting and seeing those cramped conditions and wondering how my own family could have coped if placed in such danger and despair. Children could not make a sound and could not go to the bathroom until evening, and they lost their formal education and friends. It was impossible to go outside for fear of being shot. Such a burden on their young brains Education and remembrance are so important because, out of tragedy and suffering, Anne Frank, a 14-year-old girl, wrote some of the most inspiring words that I have ever read. The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is "How can life go on?" Anne Frank wrote that she kept to her ideals "because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart." She wrote: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." And: "Whoever is happy will make others happy too." Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates, and it is important to pay tribute to all survivors and to never forget those who were lost and those who experienced such traumatic circumstances. Anne Frank wrote: "What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it happening again."
Ayrshire Growth Deal — House of Commons, 2017-01-19
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alan Brown (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this very important debate for our area. She rightly says that to date the Government have focused on city deals. City deals certainly have a place and we welcome the investment they have brought to Scotland. However, in terms of connectivity and distance between cities, there is no doubt that another approach needs to be undertaken to regenerate areas like Ayrshire, which have suffered from de-industrialisation I was looking today at the latest unemployment figures: 1,960 in my constituency of Kilmarnock and Loudoun, the 76th highest claimant rate by constituency; 1,745 in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock; 1,635 in Central Ayrshire; and 2,185 in North Ayrshire and Arran, the 29th highest claimant rate by constituency. It is therefore really important that a new way is found to re-industrialise our area.
Ayrshire Growth Deal — House of Commons, 2017-01-19
Topic: Mixed Topics
Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): My hon. Friend has well articulated the importance of the spaceport to Ayrshire and the opportunities it would bring to build on that to spread and attract growth to Ayrshire In addition, we can enhance Ayrshire’s beautiful coast and capitalise on the considerable opportunities that Ayrshire’s harbours and ports provide. Indeed, proposed projects are well placed to feed into the delivery of national tourism strategies, such as marine tourism. This is an area in which there is great potential for growth in Ayrshire, but the infrastructure to make it possible is essential, alongside opportunities for the provision of land for the development of new housing I am particularly excited about the coastal regeneration of Ardrossan. Investment of about £22 million will deliver a transformation of the port as a regional transport interchange, serving south-west Scotland. Ardrossan is Scotland’s largest and busiest ferry terminal and is well placed to play a key role in delivering wider benefits to communities and businesses across Ayrshire. The prize is a port that will serve and promote a range of opportunities—cruising, leisure, marine tourism, waterfront residential—as well as improving lifeline services to the Isle of Arran, which I believe will continue to be served by the port of Ardrossan My hon. Friend the Member for Central Ayrshire (Dr Whitford) mentioned the exciting project for the establishment of a spaceport at Prestwick airport. Estimates from the Spaceport UK report of 2014 show that a spaceport has the potential cumulatively to realise a baseline of £320 million of additional economic activity The vision is also for Ayrshire to be recognised as a centre of excellence for digital skills. This can be done by developing—indeed transforming—the use of digital technology in schools, weaving technology through the teaching and learning process. Ayrshire’s Connected Classroom initiative is a recognition that digital is a key enabler of science, technology, engineering and mathematics —the so-called STEM subjects—and aims to ensure that our young people are well prepared for our increasingly digital world. Such a digitally savvy generation will support the exciting potential of Ayrshire’s space industry and aerospace innovation district.
Ayrshire Growth Deal — House of Commons, 2017-01-19
Topic: Mixed Topics
Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Minister is correct to talk about the importance of city deals, but is it fair that communities that do not happen to be part of a big city are left to suffer without UK Government support? He was quite right to mention the Scottish Government, which are on board and doing all they can, but I said in my speech—I know he was listening—that UK Government support is essential here. Is Ayrshire to be punished simply because, through an accident of geography, it does not happen to be part of a city?
Ayrshire Growth Deal — House of Commons, 2017-01-19
Topic: Housing
Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): That leads exactly to my point. In the meeting that I secured between the four of us and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Secretary of State seemed particularly interested in the deal, as a non-city deal. We have three large towns but no city in Ayrshire, and there is therefore potential to learn from projects and ideas that could be shared elsewhere. Ayrshire is way up the left-hand end of the gross value added scale. All the cities that have deals are starting from a better position than Ayrshire. We have pockets of absolute rural and urban deprivation.
Immigration Rules — House of Commons, 2017-01-23
Topic: Immigration
Questions: If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying different immigration rules to Scotland and other constituent parts of the UK.; If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying different immigration rules to Scotland and other constituent parts of the UK.; If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying different immigration rules to Scotland and other constituent parts of the UK.
Thomas Sheppard (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): That is a very disappointing response, infused with arrogance and complacency. Many large countries, such as Canada and Australia, have regional variations in their immigration and visa policies in order to take account of diverse and complicated local economic circumstances. Is it not foolhardy for the Government at this very early stage to rule out the prospect of doing that in the regions and nations of the United Kingdom?
Immigration Rules — House of Commons, 2017-01-23
Topic: Immigration
Questions: If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying different immigration rules to Scotland and other constituent parts of the UK.; If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying different immigration rules to Scotland and other constituent parts of the UK.; If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying different immigration rules to Scotland and other constituent parts of the UK.
Stephen Patrick Gethins (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): During the EU referendum campaign, we were told that Scotland should have control over immigration. We have already been told that leaving the EU is meant to be clear in what it means, so why is it that the Home Secretary can keep commitments that will cost us jobs but not one that might create some jobs?
Immigration Rules — House of Commons, 2017-01-23
Topic: Immigration
Questions: If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying different immigration rules to Scotland and other constituent parts of the UK.; If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying different immigration rules to Scotland and other constituent parts of the UK.; If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying different immigration rules to Scotland and other constituent parts of the UK.
Joanna Catherine Cherry (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): May I remind the Home Secretary that it was the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) who said during the EU referendum campaign that migration should be devolved to Scotland? A starting point might be to allow EU nationals residing in Scotland to stay. Last week, the Select Committee on Exiting the European Union heard evidence from witnesses representing EU nationals living in the UK and witnesses representing British citizens living elsewhere in the European Union. Every single one of them said that it is their desire for the British Government to make a unilateral declaration of the continued rights of EU citizens in the UK. Will the Home Secretary now persuade the Prime Minister to do that?
Domestic Abuse — House of Commons, 2017-01-23
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gavin Andrew Stuart Newlands (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The SNP Scottish Government are strongly committed to ending gender-based violence, including through our proposed all-encompassing criminal offence of domestic abuse. They have also urged the ratification at the earliest opportunity of the Istanbul convention on ending violence against women and girls. Will the Secretary of State commit to a timetable for the Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill—the private Member’s Bill promoted by my hon. Friend the Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford)—and for that long-awaited ratification?
Industrial Strategy Consultation — House of Commons, 2017-01-23
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Secretary of State briefly alluded to the importance of migration policy for the industrial strategy, productivity and innovation, so will he consult on taking over responsibility for certain parts of migration policy, seeing as the Home Office is making a mess of it? Even better, given his warm words on the importance of devolution, will he consult on devolving immigration policy so that the nations and regions can use local knowledge to determine the local skills needs?
Defence Estate Strategy — House of Commons, 2017-03-13
Topic: Housing
Michael Fraser Weir (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): When launching the reviews, Ministers said that they would release land for housing and boost local economies. What weight is the Minister giving to projects for affordable housing and other community projects in determining the price that is asked?