argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
National Security and Investment Bill — House of Lords, 2021-04-15
Topic: Government Operations
Sheila Masters (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I have a number of amendments in this group, all of which would amend the annual reporting requirements. Some of them overlap with amendments that my noble friend has just spoken to. In particular, my Amendments 26 and 28 are similar to his Amendments 25 and 27. The difference is that my noble friend’s amendments ask for the average time to be given, whereas I ask for both the average and the maximum, because averages can be very misleading. However, we shall have some data, and I am sure that those can be used as a springboard for further examination of BEIS Ministers and officials, if either House wished to do that, so I shall not pursue those amendments Of my other amendments, Amendment 29 asks for differentiation between call-in notices issued for mandatory and for voluntary notifications. That is not given, and it is quite an important bit of information, which would be useful to enable us to see how important that mandatory notification route turns out to be. The other thing I have asked for is a focus on timing—the time between issuing the call-in notice and getting to the end of the process and giving the final notifications and the final orders. I continue to believe that those areas would be important for keeping an eye on how well the process is operating, especially as there are very long times available once the call-in notice is issued. Again, I am sure that questions can be tabled and Ministers can be interrogated in the usual way, so I am not worried about that. I am glad that my noble friend has moved towards more transparency, although he has perhaps not gone quite as far as I would have preferred Although I have not added my name to the amendment in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Grantchester, I think it is important for annual reporting to keep a focus on the resources dedicated to this, because the timing performance will be in part a reflection of whether adequate resources have been dedicated. Of course, giving numbers never gives an idea of the quality of resources, so that can only ever be an imperfect picture, but it is important for Parliament to have an opportunity to review and keep in focus the resources dedicated to the ISU processes. That is where the biggest impact is likely to be felt by businesses as they come up against the system. Well done for bringing in some transparency; a bit more would have been better.
National Security and Investment Bill — House of Lords, 2021-04-15
Topic: Government Operations
Andrew Lansley (Conservative, Centre-right): I can be brief. I acknowledge with thanks that the Minister has brought forward government amendments that respond both to my Amendment 81 in Committee, about the number of orders varied or revoked and, in part, to what the noble Lord, Lord Grantchester, had to say on Amendment 80 in Committee, including on the time taken to decide whether to accept or reject mandatory and voluntary notifications. I will not rehearse what my noble friend Lady Noakes had to say. Knowing more about the time taken, in addition to what is already intended to be in the annual report, will certainly give us reassurance about these administrative processes, which I think will be very important—especially at the outset, bearing in mind that we start with already potentially five months’ worth of relevant transactions that are within the scope of the regime but the legislation has not yet entered into force. Operating rapidly in relation to all those potential notifiable transactions will be really important, even in the first annual report.
National Security and Investment Bill — House of Lords, 2021-04-15
Topic: Education
Andrew Lansley (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very glad to support Amendment 35 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Grantchester, so ably moved by the noble Lord, Lord Rooker. It follows a debate in Committee led by the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, which I thought drew out some of the issues for the higher education and research sector very well I am really pleased that our noble friends on the Front Bench have responded that they will provide guidance. I was originally looking for what amounted virtually to a safe harbour for higher education and research institutions, which I accept may be a stretch too far, but there is a substantial range of transactions that the higher education sector is concerned may be within scope When one looks at the consultation on the scope of the regime and the range of assets that are in scope, one sees that its concern about it is entirely justifiable. What it really comes down to is understanding through guidance and the sort of scenarios that the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, was referring to, how this is actually going to work. One of the central issues is that this is a regime about ownership and control, not about use. I am sorry; I have not given my noble friend notice of this question so if he wants to write to me about it subsequently I will completely understand, but I will take one example, which is non-exclusive licensing. There are instances, and I think they are reasonably frequent, where the licensing process will allow people the use of an asset but will not allow them control of it, which remains within the higher education institution. It would be really helpful if the Minister were able to say, "Yes, the guidance will cover that and our expectation is that non-exclusive licencing would not be within the likely call-in", not least because if the assets were to be used outside the United Kingdom and by particular persons outside it then, coming back to my earlier point, the export licensing regime would catch that use. The two regimes, working alongside each other, would work in harmony in that sense but would focus on the control and ownership of the technology in question rather than trying to capture all its potential uses With that said and with that question asked, I am glad that the Minister was able to give us some guidance —I should not say "guidance about the guidance"—or some expectation of the use of the guidance in the way that we wanted that to happen. I am very glad to support Amendment 35 but hope that, in reiterating that expectation, the Minister will allow this to be withdrawn.
Automatic Enrolment (Earnings Trigger and Qualifying Earnings Band) Order 2021 — House of Lords, 2021-02-25
Topic: Labor
Anne McIntosh (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I am delighted to follow the noble Lord, Lord Hain, and thank him for his part in introducing auto-enrolment. I join others in welcoming the order and congratulate the Minister on bringing this forward. With her, I also celebrate what we have achieved so far with the auto-enrolment scheme. I have a couple of questions My first concern relates to the impact on small businesses of the increase set out in paragraph 12.2 of the Explanatory Memorandum, which states: "Due to the changes, private-sector employers will pay an estimated £5 million more in employer pension contributions in 2021/22 than they would have done had the thresholds been uprated in line with earnings." Can my noble friend say what the impact of the crisis will be on SMEs? How have the Government borne in mind the impact of Covid-19 on the performance of many companies, particularly small and medium-sized companies, during the ongoing pandemic I would also like to raise the plight of women workers, particularly exacerbated in the circumstances of Covid, and their ability to save for pensions. Women are now required to work until 66 years of age, yet the pandemic has removed many of these women from employment opportunities and placed them at greater risk of vulnerability, catching infection and being seriously ill from it due to age. Many may be shielding older or younger relatives and have caring responsibilities. That is one issue facing older women who are not yet of retirement age or who are unable to afford to retire and continue to work, but the job opportunities are not there Within this category of women I would like to look at women of all ages, and actually all workers, who may have more than one job. We are told that each job is treated separately for the purposes of auto-enrolment pensions. Some jobs will sign a person up to pay into a pension automatically; others will not. We are told an individual can pay into more than one pension, but charges will apply. It may be that you pay two sets of charges if you have contributions to two separate pensions. Have my noble friend and her department had the opportunity to look at this category of women who are caught out in this regard? It would be ideal if people were in full-time positions, but many do not have the opportunity and have to work part-time in more than one or two positions just to make ends meet. Many in this category, women and men, may be reliant on temporary and zero-hour contracts. It is notable that the Office for National Statistics confirmed there has been an 11% increase in unemployment in women over the age of 65 who have not chosen to take a pension or perhaps do not have one. I would be delighted if, in response to my remarks and questions, my noble friend could write to me if she is unable to answer them today. I will be supporting the order, but I have these concerns.
Automatic Enrolment (Earnings Trigger and Qualifying Earnings Band) Order 2021 — House of Lords, 2021-02-25
Topic: Labor
Rachel Trixie Anne Gardner (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, the Minister introduced this debate very clearly, and we have had some excellent contributions from Members. I support the order. I have always thought it important that we encourage people to save for their retirement with a pension. The younger you are when you start this pot, the more you have to support yourself as you get older. The introduction of automatic enrolment for pensions was a positive step in this direction, and the massive increase in uptake since it was introduced reflects this However, I worry that, in the current climate, this may be a strain too far for businesses, as they struggle under the financial pressure of closing their doors to trade, in part or in full. While the furlough scheme helps with salaries, it does nothing to assist with pensions and national insurance contributions. It is costing all these businesses money to stay closed—from the Richard Ward beauty salon chain racking up debts of £1,000 a day to the likes of the Leon takeaway restaurant losing up to £200,000 a week, rising to £800,000 if you take account of the profit it would usually make Pension costs are part of this equation, and even the changes made by this order will trigger an additional group now falling into automatic enrolment, the costs of which will add to employers’ financial worries. I ask the Minister to work with the Chancellor to look at ways of helping these businesses to survive by reducing these costs in the short term.
Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Bill — House of Lords, 2021-02-25
Topic: International Affairs
Stuart Polak (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Fox. I too was unfortunately unable to take part at Second Reading but congratulate my noble friend Lady Noakes on her brilliant speech on Monday. Did she really expect to be here today listening to this debate Like my noble friend Lord Cormack, I think that the cross-party ad hoc group that came into being shows what can be achieved. I pay tribute to my noble friends Lady Nicholson, Lady Noakes and Lord Lucas, and the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, among many others. Perhaps I may be permitted also to publicly thank Karen Wilmot for her tireless efforts. I hope that my noble friend Lady Nicholson will give her some well-deserved time off this weekend. My right honourable friend Suella Braverman is indeed my friend. I wish her, Rael and baby George well—as indeed would the majority of people throughout this country. This is exactly my point. The overwhelming majority of people in our country sometimes wonder what we are all about—or, more accurately, what the drafters of this Bill were thinking, or, more pertinently, who they were listening to. What concerns me most is when the Government appear to listen to the noisiest groups and seem to want to satisfy those small, vocal activists rather than the overwhelming but perhaps silent majority So, instead of appealing to my noble friend the Minister, I congratulate him. One of the pleasures of being a Member of your Lordships’ House is being present in the Chamber to witness great speeches and intense debate, and to watch and learn from the skill of Ministers in dealing with situations, marrying up the briefs that have been prepared for them with the need to be nimble and articulate. I watched with admiration how the Minister worked tirelessly to pilot the UK trade co-operation Bill through this House. He was on top of his brief, was always courteous, stood his ground and day after day, week after week, did a magnificent job on behalf of the overwhelming majority of people in this country In the same way that he deployed an abundance of common sense to pilot that most difficult, complicated and politically charged piece of legislation, I was going to appeal to him to stand back and focus on the amendment, focus on what is clearly the right thing to do and focus on serving the overwhelming majority of people in this country. But I am deeply grateful to my noble friend Lord True, as I am sure that he led the discussion to ensure that common sense prevailed. I hope that this lesson has now been learned.
Committee of Selection — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: Government Operations
Patrick Cormack (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, first, I thank you, Lord Speaker, for all the work that you did as the first Senior Deputy Speaker. The whole House is very much in your debt Secondly, I welcome my noble friend Lord Gardiner to his new responsibilities. I hope that he can develop the role, building on the foundations laid by our Lord Speaker, and become something of a spokesman for Back-Benchers in this House I often think that this House, or the usual channels—once described as the murkiest waters in Europe—have one thing in common with the Almighty: they move in a very mysterious way. We need to have much more transparency. Indicative of what I am saying is that we have 33 Motions to be moved and accepted en bloc. We have no elections of chairmen to Select Committees; it is all done in the back room and the names are then produced.
Committee of Selection — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: Government Operations
Michael Bruce Forsyth (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, I do not wish to detain the House by repeating the arguments that my noble friend Lord Cormack has made and with which I agree completely. I certainly do not want to make any difficulty for my noble friend Lord Gardiner on his first day out, but I repeat one thing, to pay tribute to his predecessor, now our Lord Speaker, for the way in which he has worked to help the committees—and I know that from being a member of the committee of chairs which, as Deputy Lord Speaker, the present Lord Speaker initiated and which has been very helpful. I know that making a change in this place, as my noble friend is about to find out, is quite a fight against quite a formidable bureaucracy—and I think that great progress has been made However, I have a question for my noble friend. I find it quite difficult to understand, given that we are being asked to appoint a Committee of Selection and that those members have not actually been appointed, how they were able to make these recommendations and how they were able to meet. Are we going to adjourn while they meet and then bring forward these recommendations? I know that my noble friend will no doubt say that it is because of the changeover being changed to the beginning of the year, and everyone knew they were going to be reappointed, but I do not really think that that is good enough I agree with my noble friend Lord Cormack about the Conduct Committee. I certainly worry about its composition, because any committee that decided that Valuing Everyone—which I have done, so I have no interest to declare—should be made compulsory, when it was not made compulsory in the House of Commons, is quite extraordinary. How, when it deliberated, did that committee come to a conclusion that it would make it compulsory without considering what it would do in the event that people were unable to comply with that? My noble friend Lord Gardiner may very well say that the House approved that. I shall not detain your Lordships by explaining how little time we were given to approve and debate it; in fact, we were given little opportunity, in part because of the circumstances that we find ourselves in It is very worrying to me that the institution of the hybrid House is being used to ram things through without proper discussion. It is perfectly clear that there is something wrong with the composition of the Conduct Committee when they can make such ill-judged recommendations to this House, which have brought us into complete ridicule—not least in respect of the pursuit, which I believe is still continuing, of the noble Baroness, Lady Boothroyd. The commissioner was quoted in the newspapers—I assume misquoted—as saying that she would pursue this and that anyone who spoke to the newspapers would be in contempt of Parliament. That says to me that the stage is now laughing at the audience, and the country is laughing at us as a result. I regret the fact that we do not have an opportunity to consider the composition of that committee, because that committee has let the place down.
Committee of Selection — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: Government Operations
Anne McIntosh (Conservative, Centre-right): I note my thanks to the Lord Speaker for the part that he played in his previous role and the support that he gave to chairs and members of committees. I welcome my noble friend to his new role, which I am sure he will perform with aplomb It is a privilege to serve in any capacity on a committee, and I recognise the fact that there are insufficient places. Could my noble friend consider a proposal that we look at increasing the size of committees or allow alternates to all committees rather than just some? There has been an imbalance in recent years, with some who for no fault of anyone’s were able to serve for four years on a committee and others who could serve only one and a half years. In addition to transparency and possible elections to those committees and those who serve as Back-Benchers on committees, we are all here as working Peers and we want to serve in whatever capacity we are called to, but it is important to have a sense of fairness and balance in appointments.
Violence in Israel and Palestine — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Parkinson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the noble Lord for his welcome for what my right honourable friend the Minister for the Middle East said in the other place and in his broadcast this morning. The ongoing violence across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories is deeply concerning and must stop. As the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have said, we want to see both sides stepping back from this. The Foreign Secretary delivered a message of de-escalation in his call to Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi on Tuesday and to Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh yesterday. We are working with our partners, including those in the region, and remain in close contact with the US Administration and European allies.
Violence in Israel and Palestine — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Parkinson (Conservative, Centre-right): The noble Baroness is right; de-escalation is important, and that is a point we are making to all parties. Clearly, violence against peaceful worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque was unacceptable. The UK is committed to preserving the religious status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan and today as, as she says, Eid al-Fitr begins. We wish all those celebrating Eid Mubarak. We urge all parties to respect this and to refrain from provocation.
Violence in Israel and Palestine — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Parkinson (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, the UK unequivocally condemns the firing of rockets into Israel. We strongly condemn these acts of terrorism from Hamas and other terrorist groups, which must permanently end their incitement of and rocket fire against Israel. We are working, as I say, with our partners in the region. We have engaged Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations to support their efforts to mediate and are stressing that we want to see both sides step back from this and the situation de-escalated.
Violence in Israel and Palestine — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Parkinson (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, the UK is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court. We are committed to strengthening the court so it can best serve international justice. We oppose the investigation related to the Occupied Palestinian Territories on the grounds that the court does not have jurisdiction in the OPTs. The UK is a friend of Israel, but our concerns about evictions of Palestinians from their homes are long-standing and well known. They are unacceptable and contrary to the cause of peace.
Violence in Israel and Palestine — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: International Affairs
David Gold (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, the alarming conflict that Israel and the people in Gaza are now enduring was instigated by an unprovoked attack on Israel on Monday night by terrorists in Gaza. In its military action since then, Israel has made every effort to minimise civilian casualties, including warning of a planned strike on a building complex so that occupants could safely leave. The terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have no respect for life and have fired over 1,500 rockets indiscriminately into Israel, killing Israelis and Arabs alike. What steps are the Government taking to ensure an end to weapon smuggling into Gaza, particularly by states such as Iran?
Violence in Israel and Palestine — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Parkinson (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, the UK unequivocally condemns the firing of rockets at Jerusalem and any locations within Israel. As I say, there is no justification for the targeting of civilians. We strongly condemn these acts of terrorism from Hamas and other terrorist groups and want them permanently to end their incitement and rocket fire. Our priority now must be an immediate de-escalation on all sides and an end to the killing of civilians.
Violence in Israel and Palestine — House of Lords, 2021-05-13
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Parkinson (Conservative, Centre-right): My Lords, we are aware of the Human Rights Watch report, which the noble Lord mentions, and we will review the findings. The UK continues to engage with the Israeli Government on human rights issues in the context that the report raises. The situation on the ground demonstrates the urgent need to make progress towards peace and, of course, the immediate situation is best helped by de-escalation on both sides.