argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Deaths of Homeless People — House of Commons, 2019-10-01
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to make a statement on his Government’s action to prevent the deaths of people who are homeless.
Jamie Hume Stone (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): Every winter, the pretty village of Altnaharra in the epicentre of my vast far-northern constituency is the coldest place in the UK. As has been said already, the cold kills so many people sleeping rough. Have the Government looked at best practice in northern countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland, to see how they are tackling this issue?
Thomas Cook Customers — House of Commons, 2019-11-05
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Christine Anne Jardine (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I share the Secretary of State’s surprise and horror that Thomas Cook was operating without the necessary insurance. Many of my constituents and, indeed, I myself travelled with Thomas Cook unknowing. We all assume that the safeguards that we see with travel companies through the Association of British Travel Agents and so on ensure that we are travelling safely and that we are protected. Will the Secretary of State assure us that there will be safeguards to ensure not just that we investigate what went wrong at Thomas Cook, but that all travel companies, or anyone offering travel in this country, is properly insured?
Valedictory Debate — House of Commons, 2019-11-05
Topic: Other
Norman Peter Lamb (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I have to say that I never dreamed for one minute that I would ever serve under the right hon. Gentleman in any capacity in this place, but I found myself doing so and I found myself enjoying it and respecting his leadership, so I thank him for that.
Election of Speaker — House of Commons, 2019-11-04
Topic: Mixed Topics
Joanne Kate Swinson (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I thank the Father of the House for the way in which he conducted this election. Congratulations from the Liberal Democrat Benches on your new role, Mr Speaker-Elect. You have been clear that you want to be a strong champion for Back Benchers in this place, and have always conducted yourself with good humour and taken great care of Members in this place. The focus that you placed on the importance of health and wellbeing—particularly mental health—in your election campaign is very welcome indeed for those who work here, including Members and others in different roles Mr Speaker-Elect, you take the Chair at a time of great challenge for our democracy. The issues of security that you have championed as Deputy Speaker are more important than ever, with increasing threats. The focus on stamping out the unacceptable culture of bullying and harassment is hugely important. I hope you will also continue the work of modernisation of this place that we have seen in the past decade. I welcome your pledge on outreach to make sure that we reach out to disadvantaged groups. We should none of us be happy until this place properly represents the communities that we serve I wish you well in your new role. It is not one that will necessarily be a popularity contest where you will find yourself welcomed by everybody, but I may at least hope that you will frustrate the various parts of this House equally.
Detainee Mistreatment: Judge-led Inquiry — House of Commons, 2019-07-15
Topic: Civil Rights
Thomas Anthony Brake (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): Does the Minister accept that any UK involvement in extraordinary rendition is a stain on our reputation as a country that claims to uphold the rule of law and defend human rights? Does he agree that the best way to deal with this is for him to announce this week that there will be an independent judge-led inquiry, and also to announce the appointment of the new Investigatory Powers Commissioner?
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill — House of Commons, 2019-12-20
Topic: Immigration
Wera Benedicta Hobhouse (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I am a first-generation European migrant. When I came here in 1990, the passport I was holding was not an issue. I was welcomed and allowed to thrive. Our four children were born and brought up here. I worked as a teacher and paid my taxes. I was, like millions of EU citizens, a part of British society. I became a councillor. My residents first thought me a bit different, but they soon accepted that my background did not matter and that I represented them well. I became a British citizen and stood for Parliament. Then came Brexit. EU citizens became the centre of a cynical political ploy to divert attention from a failure to invest into public services through an attempt to pin blame on EU migration. Suddenly, I was wondering, "Am I not welcome here? Do they mean me? And if they do not mean me, who do they mean?" My wonderful electorate in Bath has always looked beyond my background and has just re-elected me with a huge majority. I feel truly humbled, but Bath is special.
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill — House of Commons, 2019-12-20
Topic: Immigration
Wera Benedicta Hobhouse (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): The relentless rhetoric and the hostile environment created around EU free movement has wounded EU citizens to the core. The Government’s newly found but false words about our "European friends" are failing to repair the damage. EU citizens understand that this Tory Government do mean them, and they are leaving.
Southend: City Status — House of Commons, 2019-12-20
Topic: Mixed Topics
Jamie Hume Stone (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): Inverness, which is not in my constituency but which is in the highlands, became a city some years ago, and it has been a great success. Part of that success has been the establishment of the Inverness tartan. May I point out that Cornwall has its own tartan, and Suffolk has its special gingham plaid? I strongly suggest to the hon. Member, in the spirit of Christmas good wishes—and I salute his excellent speech—that he think about a Southend tartan.
EU Settlement Scheme — House of Commons, 2019-10-28
Topic: Immigration
Jamie Hume Stone (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): As a remainer, I wish that the EU citizens in my constituency had not been put in this position. As the Minister has mentioned, applications can be made by phone or iPad, but connectivity in parts of my constituency is absolute mince, to use a Scottish expression. I have raised this time and again—we would be better off with two cans and a length of string. Cannot the Government see that this lack of connectivity militates against the EU citizens who want to remain in my constituency?
Shared Rural Network — House of Commons, 2019-10-28
Topic: Mixed Topics
Jamie Hume Stone (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I, too, welcome today’s announcement. As you know, Mr Speaker, I have said countless times in this place that connectivity in my constituency is very patchy and simply not good enough, so I am grateful for this. I want to ask the Secretary of State to do two things. First, can she ask her private office to provide a big map of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. Secondly, can she write to the Scottish Government saying, "Could you give us a list of all the bad parts of Jamie Stone’s constituency?" and then put them on her map, for them to be ticked off one by one?
Early Parliamentary General Election — House of Commons, 2019-10-28
Topic: Civil Rights
Joanne Kate Swinson (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): The right hon. Lady and I have worked together well on the people’s vote campaign, and I pay tribute to her for the courageous decision that she took earlier this year to leave her party and for the work that she has done on this campaign, but I say to her that I dearly wish it were the case that we were at a majority situation for a people’s vote. If we are at that situation then MPs can sign the motion and demonstrate that that is the case.
Domestic Abuse Bill — House of Commons, 2019-10-02
Topic: Mixed Topics
Wera Benedicta Hobhouse (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I thank the right hon. and learned Gentleman for giving way. The Istanbul convention is not just about extraterritorial powers but about the provision that we make for survivors in this country. If we are signatories, it means that we give extra care to people who return having experienced abuse abroad. Will he make sure that we sign the Istanbul convention so that we can provide adequate support for victims in this country?
Domestic Abuse Bill — House of Commons, 2019-10-02
Topic: Other
Christine Anne Jardine (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): On that very point, as the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) has said, this is landmark legislation. All of us may have reservations about certain aspects of it and things we may want to see amended in Committee, but it is incumbent on us to support it today and get it through so that, as the hon. Lady says, it is not lost.
Domestic Abuse Bill — House of Commons, 2019-10-02
Topic: Mixed Topics
Norman Peter Lamb (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I very much agree that children are often massive victims themselves, which can often have lifelong consequences for them. Does the hon. Lady agree with the Children’s Commissioner that the lower age limit of 16 should be removed from the Bill?
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Layla Michelle Moran (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): (Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on payments made by her Department to Hacker House, and on how her Department manages possible conflicts of interest.
Hacker House — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Jamie Hume Stone (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): A great number of people out there are trying to get start-up businesses off the ground, and to those people a grant would be hugely welcome. Can the Minister at least see that the impression—I use my words carefully—of money being dished out to mates is corrosive to public confidence in the grant system, and that that, in turn, is damaging to the reputation of any Government?
Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Edward Jonathon Davey (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): Let me be generous to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: let us imagine that his no-deal preparations are successful and that if we were to leave, we would do so in a benign way. Is he aware that in its "Fiscal risks report", published in July, the independent watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said that a benign no deal would cost the public purse £30 billion a year for the next four years? What preparations have the Government made to plug that £120 billion gap of a benign no-deal Brexit?
Prime Minister's Update — House of Commons, 2019-09-25
Topic: Mixed Topics
Joanne Kate Swinson (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): The Prime Minister is not serious; he needs to understand that actions have consequences. Even my five-year-old knows that if you do something wrong, you have to say sorry. If my son can apologise for kicking a football indoors, surely the Prime Minister can have the humility to say sorry—for misleading the Queen, misleading the country and illegally shutting down our democracy.
Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme — House of Commons, 2019-10-31
Topic: Other
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what progress the Commission has made on implementing the independent complaints and grievance scheme.
Thomas Anthony Brake (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question. If he is referring to particular cases, he can pass the details on to me. I am aware that support has been made available to Members of Parliament against whom legal cases have been pursued. I will follow that up if he is able to pass me the details.
Digitising Parliamentary Processes — House of Commons, 2019-10-31
Topic: Mixed Topics
Thomas Anthony Brake (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I can reassure the hon. Lady and other Members that if they have issues about the way the Members’ hub works, for instance, they can simply walk the short distance from here to the Table Office. I understand that the Table Office, on a monthly basis, reviews suggestions and possible improvements that Members have drawn to their attention. I know personally, from having raised an issue, that that has then been reflected in how the system works. I therefore encourage all Members—perhaps in the new Parliament we will need to remind new Members of this fact—to remember that the Table Office is there, and that it will respond to and review matters on a monthly basis.
20 Years of Devolution — House of Commons, 2019-07-11
Topic: Mixed Topics
Christine Anne Jardine (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): It is a pleasure to be able to speak in this debate. I thank the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) for securing it I would like to return to a point made by the hon. Member for Inverclyde (Ronnie Cowan), who said that the Scottish Parliament had not been paralysed by Brexit in the way that this one had. That may be the case, but it was certainly paralysed by the independence debate. There was an entire year of the 20 that we celebrate today in which the Scottish Parliament had no legislation before it—not a single law was passed. That, for many of us, perhaps goes down as one of the most disappointing aspects of devolution—that for a whole year our Parliament was paralysed by an argument over independence, which the majority of people of Scotland then rejected Those 20 years have indeed been an achievement. The hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Deidre Brock) recently commented from a sedentary position, "How long did devolution take?" Well, Liberal Democrats know that it took a century because it is a century since we first proposed home rule. It is great to see that, 120 years later, each of the parties in this Parliament is backing devolution, supporting the principle that was originally put forward by the Liberals. We worked on that with the Labour party in the constitutional convention, before eventually being joined by the Scottish nationalists and then, after the fact, by the Conservatives. It is perhaps the biggest single achievement of devolution that it has won over both the Scottish National party and the Conservatives to the position that we had all held before.
20 Years of Devolution — House of Commons, 2019-07-11
Topic: Other
Jamie Hume Stone (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I was myself one of the original members of the Scottish constitutional convention and I have to point out for the record that, during the time we worked together, the Scottish National party was not in the room.
20 Years of Devolution — House of Commons, 2019-07-11
Topic: Mixed Topics
Christine Anne Jardine (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I thank my hon. Friend for that reminder that the SNP did not, in fact, take part at all During those 20 years, it has been important to differentiate between devolution and the work of the Scottish Parliament and of the various Scottish Governments. Yes, there have been achievements—they have been mentioned already—including free personal care, the Borders railway, and the growth in our economic, perhaps, independence. There have been huge achievements, but there have also been significant failures. Our education system is suffering. Our NHS, despite what we regularly hear, is suffering. Independence is constantly put forward as the answer to everything, with Westminster always being at fault. However, perhaps those who advocate independence would do better to spend more time on the day job, working for the people of Scotland to improve the areas that are falling down—most significantly, as the hon. Member for Edinburgh South (Ian Murray) said, in the sucking in of power to Holyrood at the expense of many different areas of life in Scotland. As my hon. Friend the Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Jamie Stone) mentioned, the highlands and the north-east of Scotland have suffered greatly from this centralisation and the whittling away of the powers of local government in order to aggrandise the Scottish Government at their expense For those of us who worked hard for independence—[Hon. Members: "Hooray!"] I mean devolution. [Interruption.] I can honestly tell you that will never happen. Those of us who worked hard for devolution for more than 20 years, who campaigned between 1979 and 1997, and for whom devolution is the most significant achievement of Scottish politics of the last 300 years, will defend it, will work to improve it, and will always support those who put their effort into the good governance of Scotland.
20 Years of Devolution — House of Commons, 2019-07-11
Topic: Housing
Jamie Hume Stone (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): May I briefly add one to the hon. Gentleman’s list that is often forgotten—the Scottish Government’s decision to ameliorate the bedroom tax? I was very grateful for that when I was a councillor, as I was then. That actually made a very great difference to my constituents, and I give credit where it is due.
Hong Kong — House of Commons, 2019-07-22
Topic: Civil Rights
Thomas Anthony Brake (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): One of the people injured at Yuen Long was a journalist. Just over a week ago, the Government set up a committee to protect journalists, which is clearly very welcome. Will the Minister set out how in future the committee might be able to help journalists in Hong Kong who want to cover this matter impartially?
Serjeant at Arms — House of Commons, 2019-07-22
Topic: Other
Layla Michelle Moran (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): Speaking from the Liberal Democrat Bench, I feel compelled to echo the words of everyone who has spoken On a personal note, I should say that I am the first MP of British-Palestinian descent, and I have discovered that I am the first of Arab descent of any kind. What perhaps you do not know, Mr Speaker, is that Arabic has been spoken in this Chamber on many occasions because, every time I came in, Kamal and I would look at each other and speak a little in Arabic Every time there was something happening in the House, Kamal’s unfailing kindness would shine through. He would often call me over and say, "This has happened. I want you to take care of yourself." I am sure I am not the only Member for whom he did that. Kindness emanates from him, and he has a steely centre. We knew that if anything happened, he would be there for us I would simply like to say, in the words of our shared heritage: shukran, merci, thank you.
Gender Recognition Act 2004 — House of Commons, 2019-10-17
Topic: Civil Rights
Christine Anne Jardine (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): Last night, at the PinkNews awards, Baroness Williams of Trafford, the House of Lords Minister for Equalities, said, "bear with us" on gender recognition reforms. Quite frankly, Minister, that is not good enough for people who are already going through one of the most difficult experiences they will ever face—more difficult than we can possibly imagine. They face abuse, discrimination and even, sadly, violence, just because of who they are. So I ask the Minister again: when will we see the results of the consultation, and can she assure me, and the people who are waiting on those results, that the most right-wing Government in decades will follow through on the GRA?
Hong Kong — House of Commons, 2019-09-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Wera Benedicta Hobhouse (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): There have been widespread reports that crowd control equipment is being used against protesters in a way that violates their human rights. In the Secretary of State’s answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Chuka Umunna), he said that export licences would not be granted in respect of crowd control equipment from the UK to Hong Kong unless assurances are given that human rights will not be violated. Is he therefore saying that he has asked for those assurances and that they have been given?
Prime Minister's Role in Creating a Safe Environment — House of Commons, 2019-09-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Joanne Kate Swinson (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I gently say to the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex (Sir Bernard Jenkin) that it is not for any Member of this House to determine whether another Member can talk about their own grief and about how they feel in a certain circumstance and whether that should somehow not be allowed The language that leaders use matters because it sets the tone for public debate. I am sure I am not alone in looking across the Atlantic at the rallies with crowds of people chanting, "Lock her up!" about Hillary Clinton or, "Send her back!" about Ilhan Omar—by the way, it is no coincidence that women are often the targets of this hate, and especially women of colour—and seeing worrying echoes in our own politics of that Trumpian approach. Can the Minister give any assurance that there will be no deliberate campaign to use that kind of language to inflame? I fear that he cannot, because the repeated use of those inflammatory words by the Prime Minister yesterday was, it seemed, very obviously deliberate I would just end by saying that, on Tuesday morning, I spoke to a group of 400 young women. They asked how I dealt with abuse and hate on social media as a woman in public life. They asked whether going into politics was something I would recommend. I want to be able to say to such young women and to all young people that they should play their role in public life. We in this House need to be able to create the environment that enables those young people to come forward into our public life, and I fear that we are failing to do so.
Tourism Sector — House of Commons, 2019-10-03
Topic: Domestic Commerce
John Vincent Cable (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): Since the expansion of the tourist industry has undoubted economic benefits but also significant local costs, will the Minister accede to the request of local authorities of different political persuasions for the right to impose a small levy on overnight stays to defray some of those costs?
Tourism Sector — House of Commons, 2019-10-03
Topic: Immigration
Timothy James Farron (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): Is the Secretary of State aware that the Government’s plan to put a £30,000 salary floor on migrants entering the UK will massively damage the tourism industry in the Lake District and the Yorkshire dales, leaving many unable to fill vital positions? Representatives of the tourism industry and I have spoken to Ministers past and present about the need to massively lower that figure. Will she listen?
Police Surveillance of Journalists — House of Commons, 2019-07-17
Topic: Civil Rights
Christine Anne Jardine (Liberal Democrats, Centre to centre-left): I thank the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (Mr Davis) for bringing this vital matter to the House’s attention. The Minister has said on more than one occasion that, while he values press freedom, an individual should not have protection from legitimate inquiry simply because of the profession they chose. However, the very purpose of the journalistic profession is to scrutinise Government and to ensure that human rights are adhered to and that Government procedures are followed. Does the Minister therefore accept that we need something from the Government to ensure that, given advances in scanning and tracking technology, journalists are protected when providing that valuable public service?