argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Agriculture
Victoria Mary Boswell Prentis (Conservative, Centre-right): Indeed, we had not yet heard about the crustaceans. I will of course work with my hon. Friend, who raised this serious issue with me several days ago. We have commissioned research from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science to find out what on earth is going wrong on the beach in Redcar Many hon. Members feel that more should be in this Bill—Gizmo, Tuk, microchipping, animal sanctuaries, fireworks and animals being used in scientific research—and I am happy to take those matters up with them individually, although not now. I accept that not everything that we could possibly do for animal welfare is in this Bill, nor indeed is everything in our action plan for animal welfare covered Nevertheless, the Bill is significant progress. This House has been passing animal welfare legislation since 1635, when we prohibited "pulling the Wooll off…Sheep" and forbade the attaching of ploughs to the tails of horses. I am sure that we will continue to pass animal welfare legislation, but I would like to point out the significant steps that we are taking this evening I hope that hon. Members will not take it amiss if I say that, in many ways, the most important speech was not made: the one by our hon. Friend who represented the city—[Hon. Members: "Hear, hear!"] —of Southend. I do not think it presumptuous to say that I know what he would have said; after all, he had been saying it for 38 years. I quote from a speech that he gave on live exports in 2012: "Any practice that regularly inflicts such pain on living creatures, and, worse, regularly leads to their deaths, should be ended as soon as possible This is not an impossible dream."—[Official Report, 13 December 2012; Vol. 555, c. 514.] Well, not any more, David. I know that he would have been proud that Brexit allows us to deliver on many of the issues on which he campaigned The Bill will deliver our manifesto commitment to end live exports for fattening and slaughter. Long journey times pose clear welfare risks, and a consultation several years ago showed that 98% of the public support a ban. I thank the farming world for working with us on it. Breeding animals are typically transported in very good conditions, above the regulatory baseline, and poultry are generally exported as day-old chicks in excellent condition. Nevertheless, we will continue to work with Members across the House on closing possible loopholes. Clause 43 will allow us to make regulations on the matter, as my hon. Friend the Member for North Herefordshire (Bill Wiggin) called for I am a great supporter of local and even mobile abattoirs; I visited one at Fir farm recently and am always happy to take up the issue with anybody who wishes to discuss it. Wider transport reforms are also important. We have done a great deal of work on length of journey for animals generally.
Abraham Accords — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: International Affairs
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and the House for the opportunity to hold this short debate, and to my right hon. Friend the Minister for his attention this evening. As our main proceedings have finished early, I will limit my remarks to about an hour, as I clearly have a fair amount of time! I am only joking, of course; I will try to speak briefly This debate has three purposes. The first is to note and celebrate a significant development that has occurred within the last year in the middle east. The fact that Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan—we note the concerning situation in Sudan that we have heard about today and was addressed in an earlier statement—have come together and taken a material step forward in the relationships, normalising relations between the nations, the faiths and the peoples, is potentially a substantial step forward The second point that I would like to raise this evening is how we can nurture this fragile agreement and help it to continue and to broaden the circle of nations that have taken part in it. The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Gilad Erdan, has said that this is a bit like a wedding, in that we have had the party and made vows to each other, but the true test is whether that can lead to a lasting partnership. That work really is required now. As with any marriage, it is up to friends, allies and supporters to ensure that we help it to succeed in the months and years to come That brings me to the third point that I would like to raise this evening. What is the role for the United Kingdom, and for our Government in particular, in taking this forward?
Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds: Geographic Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Education
Victoria Grace Ford (Conservative, Centre-right): Every child, no matter what their background, should have access to world-class education that opens up opportunities for their future. Our pupil premium is targeted at schools based on the number of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. It has helped to close the attainment gap over the past decade, and it is expected to increase to more than £2.5 billion this year.
Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds: Geographic Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Education
Peter James Guy Aldous (Conservative, Centre-right): I am most grateful to the Minister for her reply. Early years education plays a key role in supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds, but there is a concern that the current funding arrangements are skewed against providers operating in deprived areas such as parts of Lowestoft in my constituency. I have corresponded with her on this issue, and we will hopefully meet shortly, but does she agree it is vital that all children, whatever their background, have ready access to high-quality and properly funded early years education? Will the Government take steps to ensure this happens?
Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds: Geographic Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Education
Victoria Grace Ford (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. High-quality early years education is important, which is why the Government have invested over £3.5 billion every year for the past three years in supporting education for two, three and four-year-olds. Our recent education recovery announcement included increased investment in early years teaching I urge my hon. Friend and, indeed, all hon. Members to encourage families from lower-income backgrounds to take up the Government’s generous offer of 15 hours of free childcare for their two-year-olds. Children who take it up do better at school, and it gives them the vital skills that set them up for life.
Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds: Geographic Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Education
Victoria Grace Ford (Conservative, Centre-right): We are considering the recommendations of the Select Committee on Education very carefully, and all the evidence shows that high-quality teaching is the single most effective way to improve education outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. That is why it is so important that the pupil premium is used to support continuing professional development, as well as academic programmes and pastoral support. It is also why so much of our recovery funding is tilted towards top-quality teaching and tutoring for disadvantaged pupils.
Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds: Geographic Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Education
Ruth Rosamond Edwards (Conservative, Centre-right): Given the recent Ofsted report, what steps are the Government taking to make sure that all parts of the country have robust safeguarding measures in place so that every girl can fulfil her potential in school without fear of sexual abuse?
Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds: Geographic Equality of Opportunity — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Victoria Grace Ford (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right—sex abuse is not acceptable. The Government are taking action through the child sex abuse strategy and the violence against women and girls strategy, and we have published strengthened guidance for schools on peer-on-peer abuse and updated relationships, sex and health education. In addition, we have asked every local safe- guarding partnership across the country to review how they work to support schools to tackle this issue.
Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Social Welfare
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): We believe that extending the MAPLE—Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999—provisions is a better way of doing it that goes with the grain of the tribunal system that we have within this country. That is why, after due consideration, we will be bringing that forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Labor
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): I said earlier that legislation can only ever be part of the answer. There are robust laws at the moment whereby employers have to maintain their duty of care to their workforce, but, as I say, we are taking a different approach rather than bringing in an almost outright ban on making pregnant women and new mothers redundant. We are working with the grain of the existing UK approach, and this will happen soon as parliamentary time allows.
Covid-19: Disabled People on Legacy Benefits — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Social Welfare
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to supporting disabled people affected by the covid-19 outbreak, including those who claim legacy benefits. We have delivered an unprecedented package of support, injecting billions into the welfare system, and we continue to monitor the impact on disabled people while ensuring that they are able to access the support that they need.
Covid-19: Disabled People on Legacy Benefits — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Social Welfare
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): I will get the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work to write to the hon. Gentleman, but he will be aware that we spend £57 billion on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. At the same time, we have reformed employment and support allowance in the light of covid and brought in supportive changes to statutory sick pay, local housing allowance and the Access to Work programme. We continue to support the disabled into work.
Official Development Assistance: Gender Equality — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: International Affairs
Wendy Morton (Conservative, Centre-right): It is important to recognise that the UK will still spend more than £10 billion on ODA in 2021, and we will return to spending 0.7% as soon as the fiscal situation allows. On impacts and equality assessments, I assure the hon. Lady that officials considered any impacts on women and girls, the most marginalised and vulnerable, people with disabilities and people from other protected groups when they developed their advice to Ministers as part of our decision-making process.
Employment Gap: Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority People — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Labor
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are committed to supporting people from all backgrounds to move into work. Clearly, £2 billion has been spent on kickstart. There are 13,000 extra job coaches, and the job entry targeted support scheme is also being rolled out. For black, Asian and minority ethnic claimants specifically, we are taking action in 20 local authority areas with high populations of ethnic minority people.
Employment Gap: Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority People — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Labor
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): I am happy to write to the hon. Lady through the Department when she gives me a more detailed version. I can just answer that we have 500 kickstart jobs per day, and from 20 locations—from Bradford to Barnet, Glasgow to Leicester, and Manchester to her own Ealing community—jobcentres are specifically helping BAME people.
BAME Students — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): Equality of opportunity for talented young people across the country is one of the Government’s highest priorities. We are focused on giving people, whatever their background, ethnicity or circumstances, the high-quality education and skills that they deserve to succeed.
BAME Students — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): We recognise that raising educational standards is absolutely key to levelling up opportunity, providing £14 billion in over three years, the biggest uplift to school funding in a decade, investing it in early years education and targeting more than £3 billion in recovery funding. That is why, compared with 2009-10, the proportion achieving A-levels and equivalent improved across all ethnic groups, with the largest improvement in the black and black British ethnic group.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Labor
Elizabeth Mary Truss (Conservative, Centre-right): As we look to build back better, we want to make it easier for people to work flexibly. Normalising flexible working will help turbocharge opportunities for women, boost employment outside major cities and support a diverse workforce. We have already reconvened the flexible working taskforce, and I am working with ministerial colleagues to champion flexible working practices.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Caroline Julia Dinenage (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw attention to this issue. As part of its review of harmful online communications, the Law Commission is considering offences around the sharing of intimate images, including things like cyber-flashing, which she mentioned, and is looking to identify whether there are any gaps in existing legislation. It will publish the results of the review very shortly, and we will consider them all very carefully.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Labor
Guy Thomas Opperman (Conservative, Centre-right): I wholeheartedly reject the comment by the hon. Gentleman. The state pension has gone up dramatically under the triple lock—by £2,000 since 2010 —by the coalition and Conservative Governments. We have a system that is taking forward real change and making a real difference to state pensioners.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Transportation
Andrew John Stevenson (Conservative, Centre-right): It is very true of the United Kingdom that there is more that unites us than divides us, but improved connectivity is vital to ensuring we remain united. The Government’s recent interim connectivity review has suggested some improvements. If this is really going to happen, then improvements must be made to the A75, the A69 and the extension of the borders railway. Does the Prime Minister support such investment and what is the timescale for such investment?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Transportation
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his excellent question. I think he should not have too long to wait for the final recommendations from Sir Peter Hendy about the A75 and other great features of Union connectivity that this Government hope to support, but we have already agreed £5 million from the UK and the Scottish Governments to support the extension of the Edinburgh-Tweedbank borders railway to Carlisle.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Energy
Andrew John Carter (Conservative, Centre-right): Last week I visited Penketh South Community Primary School in Warrington to talk to year 6 children about how we can generate cleaner energy in the future. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that, as well as backing electric vehicle production in the north-west, there is a great opportunity to shift towards low-carbon hydrogen by providing support for projects such as HyNet North West, which by 2030 will secure thousands of green jobs in the north-west, as well as cutting emissions to the same level as taking 4 million cars off the roads?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Energy
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I believe that the north-west, in addition to the rest of the country, will be a world leader in hydrogen technology. The HyNet project is an excellent example. We have already put £45 million into supporting the HyNet project, kickstarting our hydrogen capture and storage, and I thank my hon. Friend for his support.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Transportation
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not think that is an entirely fair characterisation of what the Government are doing. On the contrary, we have worked night and day to build up our domestic lateral flow capacity and continue to do so.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: International Affairs
Timothy Paul Loughton (Conservative, Centre-right): Last week President Xi cheerily threatened that any foreigners attempting to influence China "will have their heads bashed…against the Great Wall of steel". Of course, he is still in denial about human rights violations and the genocides in Xinjiang and Tibet, as recognised by this House, as a result of which five of us remain sanctioned. Will the Prime Minister therefore support our motion, to be debated in the House next Thursday, calling for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 winter Olympics—incredibly awarded to Beijing—until and unless this dangerous regime abides by basic international standards of decency?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: International Affairs
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): This country has led the world in condemning human rights abuses in Xinjiang, in putting sanctions on those responsible and in holding companies to account that import goods made with forced labour in Xinjiang. I will certainly consider the proposals debated, but I must say that I am instinctively, and always have been, against sporting boycotts.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: International Affairs
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is, sadly, completely right in his analysis. There remain very serious problems in what I believe is the misapplication—the excessively legally purist application—of that protocol. What we are hoping for is some progress from the European Commission—some repairs that I think that they should make to the way this is working—but to echo what he has said, we certainly rule nothing out in our approach.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Social Welfare
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I sympathise deeply with anybody who has suffered the loss of a baby by miscarriage, of course. What I can tell the hon. Lady is that we did introduce, in 2020, paid parental bereavement leave. That entitles those who lose a child after 24 weeks of pregnancy to some payment, but, of course, nothing I can say, and no payment we could make, would be any consolation to those who experience a miscarriage in that way.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Government Operations
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): The Serious Fraud Office achieved a rare success in Southwark Crown court in April with the successful prosecution of GPT Special Project Management Ltd, which resulted in £28 million of penalties for corruption. The key whistleblower in this case was my constituent Ian Foxley, without whom the prosecution would never have happened, yet he has been totally hung out to dry by the Serious Fraud Office, despite 10 years of financial devastation. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, unless we properly compensate whistleblowers, they simply will not come forward, and will he consider making a payment out of the £28 million received by Her Majesty’s Treasury to compensate him for his losses?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Law and Crime
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his excellent question. I want to thank Mr Foxley for his whistleblowing, because he has seen justice done. The trouble is that we do not normally compensate whistle- blowers in the way that my hon. Friend recommends, but I know that my right hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor General has offered to meet my hon. Friend to discuss the matter further.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Energy
Kate Elizabeth Kniveton (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure that the whole House welcomes the fantastic news of Nissan’s investment in an electric battery gigafactory in Sunderland, but does the Prime Minister agree that batteries are only part of the solution in pursuit of net zero by 2050, and that zero-carbon hydrogen combustion engines, such as those recently developed by Midlands-based JCB, have an important role to play in our country’s decarbonisation plans?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Energy
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is completely right. The investments that we have seen in just the last week or so—Nissan’s investment in a gigafactory in Sunderland and what Stellantis is doing at Ellesmere Port—are tremendously exciting for battery-powered vehicles. It is fantastic, but we must not forget hydrogen. As I said in an earlier answer, we want this country to be a world leader in hydrogen technology as well.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Transportation
Abimbola Afolami (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that the Prime Minister is aware of the fatal and serious road accidents that have taken place on St Albans Road and Redbourn Road in my constituency. Will he advise the House on what more the Government are doing to improve road safety, not just in the case of fatal accidents but where there are serious accidents or near misses, because this is an issue that is of growing concern to many of my constituents and, I believe, to many across the country?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Transportation
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right to raise this. Although the number of those who have been killed or seriously injured on the roads has been coming down over a long period, it is vital that we invest in this area. We have put another £100 million through the safer roads fund to invest in 50 of the most dangerous stretches on A roads. I also draw his attention to the THINK! campaign, which can play a huge role in reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Macroeconomics
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course I know how tough it has been for millions of people up and down the country and for business. That is why this Government put in an extraordinary £407 billion to support jobs and livelihoods across the country throughout the pandemic. The single most important thing we can do now for the individuals and families that the hon. Gentleman represents and is rightly talking about today is to help our country to get back on its feet by cautiously opening up in the way that we are on 19 July, if we can take that step, which I very much hope we will. I hope that it may command the support, if not of the Leader of the Opposition, then at least of the hon. Gentleman.