argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises an important point. During the test period, we will be testing a number of approaches to moving claimants on to universal credit safely and in the most effective way. This will include testing a non-mandatory approach, where claimants will be invited to go through the process. We will be testing claimants on all benefits and in a range of circumstances to make sure that we move all claimants on to universal credit safely.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Labor
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): I visited Liverpool last year and talked to colleagues in jobcentres who told me that universal credit was working well, that they supported it and that it enabled them to offer help. The hon. Lady talks about providing support for individuals. The best support we can provide is helping them to get into work, and that is what is happening under universal credit.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Neil John O'Brien (Conservative, Centre-right): Universal credit is solving some serious problems in the benefits system. It is helping people to move into work more quickly and, together with the national living wage, is helping to drive down unemployment. The Minister is right to take a cautious approach to rolling out universal credit but, further to the question from the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Kate Green), can he assure me that he will move as quickly as possible to introduce regulations that solve the problem for people on severe disability premium? I have a constituent whose disabled son has lost money because he has moved local authority. It is obviously an indefensible situation. He will want to fix it. Can he assure me that we will move quickly to solve this problem?
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course, we are in regular contact with the Social Security Advisory Committee and the hon. Gentleman will know that in our response to it we highlighted the limitations of pre-population, which I think is what he is talking about. I ask him to look at when we moved people from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance. We did not have all the appropriate information and this led to the Department estimating the need to spend about £1 billion on historical underpayments. We want to ensure we get this right, but of course it is important to build in safeguards, particularly for the vulnerable, and that is what the test phase is all about.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the aims of universal credit is to more accurately target financial support to the most vulnerable people, who need it most. As I understand it, when fully rolled out, up to 1 million disabled people will be able to claim something like £100 a month more than they currently receive. Is my understanding correct?
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There will be that extra money. As I have said, this is about making sure that we target funds at those who need it most. That is why we introduced changes in work allowances in the Budget, which will make a difference to people with children and, of course, those with disabilities as well.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): I am always happy to have a detailed discussion with the hon. Gentleman on any issues, but let me commend to him our response to the Social Security Advisory Committee’s recommendations. As he will see, we have taken on the vast majority of those recommendations—and, of course, we have committed ourselves to working with stakeholders, which we are already doing.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Thomas Christopher John Pursglove (Conservative, Centre-right): On Friday, it was great to be interviewed by a university student from Corby, Bethany Kilgallon, about universal credit. What message would my hon. Friend want me to pass on to her about the successes of universal credit so far, and the way in which the roll-out will be handled in future?
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Labor
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend has raised a fundamental point. Universal credit replaces a very complicated legacy benefits system, and is ensuring that people get into work faster and stay in work for longer. That, ultimately, is what we should all be trying to do, as well as helping people to progress when they are already in work.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady talks about poverty. May I point out respectfully to her that since 2010, 1 million fewer people are living in absolute poverty, including 300,000 fewer children? [Interruption.] The hon. Lady may not like the answer, but she cannot argue with the facts. As for the regulations, we have been very clear about them, as was the Secretary of State yesterday.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): As the hon. Lady will know, home visits are already available under the welfare system and the universal credit arrangements. However, she has raised an important point about the need to ensure that no one who is vulnerable falls through the cracks. We want to ensure that as well, which is why we are working with health charities and others to make certain that we get this absolutely right.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Labor
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): I will double-check and write to the hon. Gentleman if I am wrong, but I believe that we have put in place the arrangements required to enable people in certain jobcentres in Wales to communicate in Welsh.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): Payment timeliness may be one of the issues to which the hon. Lady refers. The position has improved. When people cannot receive their full payments at the end of the first period, it is often because we have been unable to obtain verification because no information on housing or childcare costs has been provided, but support is available in the system. If there are individual cases in which the hon. Lady thinks that things have not gone well, she should come and talk to me: I would be very happy to have that discussion.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): There are a number of ways in which people can claim universal credit. There is, of course, the online process, and help with that can be provided in jobcentres. There is also the Freephone telephone line, and people can also have appointees. As the hon. Gentleman has said, there are home visits, but, again, I would be happy to discuss the issue with him.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be happy to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss that suggestion and see what is possible, but, as he will know, we have a new arrangement with Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to ensure that advice is given to people to help them as they move on to universal credit. That arrangement will kick off formally in April. We have made £39 million available, and of course we want the process to work well.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady gets to the point of the pilot phase, as that is precisely what we want to make sure happens: we want to get this right particularly for the most vulnerable. We are working with a range of stakeholders. I set out in an earlier answer the work-streams we are working on, and we will continue to do that until we get this right.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course I will meet with the hon. Lady, as I have done previously on issues she has raised. As a general rule, one would not expect deductions to be more than 40% of a standard allowance, and of course that figure will come down to 30%.
Universal Credit: Managed Migration — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Social Welfare
Alok Kumar Sharma (Conservative, Centre-right): Without knowing the individual cases the hon. Gentleman raises I cannot comment in any detail—[Interruption.] I have been asked to answer on policy, and that is precisely what I am doing. The reality is that we have now rolled out UC across the country, so new claimants or those who have a change of circumstance will move on to UC. But again, I am happy to discuss individual cases.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not even going to address the idiocy that the hon. Gentleman has just come up with. He has made a number of allegations, which I suggest he goes and makes elsewhere. I am simply going to say this: the Government have let a contract for which we will pay no money until and unless ferries are running. That is responsible stewardship of public money. On other matters, from the due diligence we have done, there is no reason to believe that anyone involved in this business is not fit to do business with the Government. I say this again: we are not spending money unless these ferries operate.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Owen William Paterson (Conservative, Centre-right): Many of us would agree that much the best end solution for the talks between the Government and the EU would be a wide-ranging free trade agreement, as offered by President Tusk in March, with zero tariffs. However, to bring the EU to the table, to counter the arrogant boasting of Mr Selmayr in the Passauer Neue Presse, which many of us have been reading since we heard about it yesterday, and to show that we are deadly serious, it is obvious that we must prepare for World Trade Organisation terms. I therefore commend the Secretary of State for his various actions to show that we are serious about preparing this country to work under those terms, through which we work with the rest of the world.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to my right hon. Friend. It is absolutely right and proper that we prepare for all eventualities. The sad thing is to see the Labour party trying to destroy Brexit and taking a destructive approach to any sensible measures that this Government take to prepare for all Brexit eventualities. Frankly, Labour is not fit to be in opposition let alone in government.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): This procurement was done properly and in a way that conforms with Government rules. It secures the position of the taxpayer by ensuring that no money will change hands unless and until the ferries are running. The hon. Gentleman does not seem to listen.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Bernard Christison Jenkin (Conservative, Centre-right): I join my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson) in supporting my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s determination to be prepared for all eventualities. He has succeeded on aviation services, the transit convention and other things that will ensure that trade keeps flowing. However, what lessons can be learned from this situation? No matter how good this company might be, this is a difficult contracting environment in which things must be done quickly under intense political and public scrutiny. Will my right hon. Friend ask the permanent secretary to conduct a quick lessons-learned exercise so that companies with which the Government are contracting are better prepared than this one for the scale of public scrutiny to which it has been subjected?
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Government Operations
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes a valid point about public scrutiny. This contract was properly signed off by my Department’s accounting officer, and it was done in the best possible way when dealing with a new business, which is to ensure that the business will be paid only when it delivers the service. That is a responsible use of taxpayers’ money.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Brett Charles Anthony Elphicke (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that no-deal contingency planning is very much in the national interest? Will he join me in condemning those who want to try to prevent no-deal planning through parliamentary wrecking tactics and sabotage, and through Trump-style Government shutdown threats? Does he agree that such tactics from the Labour party would make problems in Kent and elsewhere more likely, and that they are irresponsible, reckless and wrong?
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I completely agree with my hon. Friend. He will agree that it is right and proper that we do everything we can to keep trade flowing through the port of Dover and the channel tunnel as smoothly as possible. We are taking prudent measures to ease potential pressures on those ports, which is the sensible thing to do. The risk to the taxpayer is not there, because we will not pay unless the service is delivered. The Labour party does not seem to believe in no-deal Brexit planning.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Sarah James (Wollaston) (Conservative, Centre-right): I am glad to hear the Secretary of State confirm that no money will change hands, but there will undoubtedly be vast manpower and bureaucracy costs in no-deal planning, and we know that there are actual costs when it comes to commissioning refrigerated warehousing and special air freight. All that could be avoided if the Government ruled out no deal. No deal would be catastrophic, and no sensible Government should inflict that on their people.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): What a load of absolute tripe. I can tell the hon. Gentleman has not been listening to me. Ninety per cent. of this contract has been awarded to substantial and established ferry operators—DFDS and Brittany Ferries. We did not have a reason to exclude a small business from taking a small part of the contract with a legitimate, valid bid.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Craig Mackinlay (Conservative, Centre-right): It is remarkable, is it not? If the Government were to do no planning for all Brexit eventualities, they would be condemned. Now they are doing sensible planning, they face derision. I have met Seaborne Freight, which has shown itself, over a number of years, to be the only party interested in running new services between Ramsgate and Ostend—that was even before this contingency planning. Personally, I welcome the dredging and improvements now taking shape at the port of Ramsgate at no cost to local taxpayers. We will have a regeneration bonus, no matter what, and I welcome that. Thanet District Council and the people of Ramsgate will do all they possibly can for Brexit provision, so I welcome the measures the Secretary of State has taken, but there are people in this House who do not seem to be listening. Will he say once more that there will be no cash for Seaborne Freight if it does not run the services?
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I keep telling the hon. Lady that the £14 million will not be paid unless Seaborne Freight delivers a service. I will not comment on the tax affairs of an individual, and nor should she. The due diligence on all those participating in the company found no reason why they are unfit to do business with the Government.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
James Philip Duddridge (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate the Secretary of State on his detailed preparations, but will he also consider how south Essex can support those preparations at Tilbury, London Gateway and London Southend airport? London Southend airport has experience of just-in-time delivery to Dagenham and is run by Stobart Group, an excellent freight haulage firm.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely agree. Of course, if we find ourselves in a no-deal scenario, a number of other ports, including Tilbury, will play a part. I hope we do not reach that point, and I think we all agree that we want a sensible free trade agreement with the European Union after 29 March, but the reality is that we need to make sure we are prepared for all eventualities. In such a situation, many of our ports up the east coast and along the south coast will play an important part in making sure that trade flows freely.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): It is my view that, as we move towards leaving the European Union, preparing for all eventualities is a matter of extreme urgency, which is also the advice that my Department has received and has given to me.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Simon Richard Clarke (Conservative, Centre-right): The shadow Secretary of State and I both represent Middlesbrough, which voted overwhelmingly to leave, so I found his comments attacking the Secretary of State for making robust preparations for no deal very surprising Will the Secretary of State commit to engaging Teesport in the preparations for any scenario that may arise from Brexit? It is important that we make all the preparations required for all contingencies.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: International Affairs
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I am very grateful for my hon. Friend’s comments. I reiterate that we are looking to involve other ports across the country as we make preparations for an eventuality that I hope will not happen. The reality is that the people of Middlesbrough voted clearly to leave, and they will not understand why the hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Andy McDonald) is letting down their 2016 vote.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): We have made it very clear to the House that queues will be caused if the French seek to impose maximum control and put in place limited checks. Why on earth does the hon. Gentleman think we are putting some of these contingency measures in place? He asked what happens if the contract does not go ahead, but I have said that 90% of the extra capacity is being provided by two established operators that will continue to deliver the services we have contracted.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Foreign Trade
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I give my hon. Friend that assurance. We are working with both organisations, and we are also having detailed discussions with the French. The leadership in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Paris, and the leadership of the port and the tunnel on the French side, are as keen as we are to see fluidity continue through those ports. We are taking contingency measures, but our prime focus is on making sure that trade flows freely, whatever checks are required.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Damian Noel Thomas Collins (Conservative, Centre-right): If there are delays in processing freight through the channel tunnel in my constituency or the port of Dover, is the Secretary of State convinced that his contingency planning means that we will not see a return to Operation Stack and that the M20 motorway will remain open in both directions if there are delays? Will he also update us on when he expects his Department to produce its site list for the potential long-term off-road lorry parking solution in Kent?
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): It is my belief that Operation Brock will prevent the closure of the M20. That is my prime concern—what happened in 2015 should not be repeated. I think there is sufficient capacity to ensure that that will not take place. We have completed the infrastructure works that are necessary on the motorways to ensure that the flow in both directions can continue, and we are now doing the detailed testing to understand flows of traffic and how to manage them to make sure that we do not see the kind of disruption we saw in 2015. I am hopeful that we will move quickly from the consultations we are having now to being able to decide a permanent location and get the thing dealt with once and for all.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): There is a complete lack of understanding of business models on the Opposition Benches. Opposition Members should understand that when they go on holiday next summer there is a fair chance they will be flying with an airline that owns no planes. The reality is that transport operators do not always own their own assets; they contract or charter them in and they operate the service. I do not think that Opposition Members understand that. As to the crewing of the ships, that is a matter for the company itself.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Government Operations
Victoria Mary Boswell Prentis (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Secretary of State confirm to me that it is normal to award contracts, in a small part, to new operators and that while perhaps 90% of operators used by the Department are established, it is perfectly normal for the Department properly—acting legally as part of its procurement process—to include new operators as part of the consideration?
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Macroeconomics
Christopher Stephen Grayling (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not going to comment on individual tax affairs. All I am going to say is that due diligence was carried out into the participants in this business and no reason was found why they should not contract with Government.
Seaborne Freight — House of Commons, 2019-01-08
Topic: Transportation
Marcus John Hudson Fysh (Conservative, Centre-right): It is very reassuring to hear about my right hon. Friend’s discussions with the ports of Dover and Calais and the contingency plans that he is putting in place. Will he tell us more about how companies can get to know what they have to do to make sure that their declarations are appropriately communicated to the port? That seems to me to be a potential pinch point that we need to look at.