argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Budget Resolutions — House of Commons, 2017-03-08
Topic: Macroeconomics
Sue-Ellen Cassiana Braverman (Conservative, Centre-right): I am pleased to respond to the Budget. I welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to consolidating the UK economy and investing in the next generation through education, skills and innovation I have two main points to make. First, support provided for ordinary families, children and young people is only possible because of a resilient economy. I am delighted by the various forecasts and upgrades that were set out at the beginning of the speech delivered by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor. As well as the OBR having updated growth this year from 1.4% to 2%, we should note the jobs miracle in this country and the upturn in employment since the Conservatives were elected to power in 2010. The fact that employment has risen from 70.2% to 74.6%, with a further two thirds of a million in work by 2021, has not happened by accident. It has happened because of a concerted effort to get people off welfare and into work and to create a jobs climate in which employment pays. Despite the higher than target inflation, real wages will also continue to rise in every year of the forecast The positive picture is further reflected in the predicted fall in public sector net borrowing and in relation to the debt we still face in this country. When Labour left office in 2010, we were borrowing £1 in every £5 we spent, which was unsustainable and irresponsible. This year, it is set to be £1 in every £15, so we are back on track towards living within our means All those elements contribute to and add up to a strong economy. Since the referendum, that strength has been undeniable. We heard today about Nissan and Google investing in the UK, but it goes much further. Despite the predictions this time last year about a recession, with a cost per family of £4,300, and of negative forecasts from the IMF, the IFS, the OECD and the Bank of England, the reality has been very different indeed. UK manufacturing has hit a two-and-a-half-year high, and services are seeing similar growth. The UK was the fastest-growing economy of the G7 last year, and PwC predicts that we will be the fastest-growing economy until 2050. Other companies are making significant commitments to the UK: Jaguar Land Rover, McDonald’s, Facebook, Adobe, IBM, Ford and Toyota have all made commitments to significant job creation and investment in the UK. I say that "Project Fear" is over and that it is time for "Project Cheer".
Budget Resolutions — House of Commons, 2017-03-08
Topic: Macroeconomics
Christopher Laurie Malthouse (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my hon. Friend agree that the fact that economists and forecasters systematically underestimate the growth in the British economy reflects the fact that they cannot quite believe that the British people who voted so overwhelmingly for Brexit feel optimistic about the future and are therefore reacting in that way economically? That is what is driving growth forward. Does she think that if they embraced the idea that the British are optimistic about Brexit, they might get their forecasts a bit more accurate?
Budget Resolutions — House of Commons, 2017-03-08
Topic: Education
Sue-Ellen Cassiana Braverman (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree entirely. The facts and figures and the behaviour in our economy since the referendum reflect the strength and resilience of our consumers, our economy and our businesses. That is laying the ground for a successful future as we leave the European Union My second point relates to education and skills. Education is the engine of aspiration and one of the core reasons that I am a Conservative. I believe in self-improvement, personal responsibility and hard work. This Conservative Government have notable achievements, such as 1.8 million children now being in good or outstanding schools. Of course, the job is not done. Much of that success can be linked to the free schools revolution. Today, we have seen £320 million of capital investment to create new free schools and extend this success story, which is empowering teachers and improving standards in schools. Some 70,000 new school places will be created following today’s announcement As someone who co-founded, set up and now chairs a free school, I am a fan of them. I have seen in the three years in which I have founded and chaired Michaela Community School, in an area of deprivation in inner-city London, how our teachers have been freed to pioneer new teaching methods and how they have gained more power and autonomy over their spending, curriculum and teaching methods. We are seeing fantastic results Free schools work. They perform above average: 28% of free schools inspected by Ofsted have been graded outstanding, compared with 14% of those maintained by the council. Free schools are popular among parents: secondary free schools attract, on average, 3.5 applicants per place, compared with 2.3 applications to maintained schools. Free schools are not just for the middle class: two thirds of free schools have opened in deprived areas. They are also cost-effective, as the National Audit Office found recently. Free schools signify a revolution in education, liberating teachers and communities to deliver high quality, high expectations and high standards for their children That leads me to selection and grammar schools. We know that grammar schools also work very well, with 90% of them being good or outstanding. The Select Committee on Education has examined considerable evidence of their effectiveness in achieving high progress rates for their children. In the Netherlands, selection takes place at 12 and it does better than us in the PISA tables, which shows that selection is compatible with good results. The Sutton Trust has showed that there would be no adverse effect on non-grammar schools and ResPublica recently commissioned an independent study that showed that a grammar school would have a transformative effect on a deprived area like Knowsley I am a Conservative because I believe in aspiration, in rewarding effort and in fairness. The Budget reflects those values and I am pleased to support it.
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): We are providing £144 million over five years, of which £32 million will be provided between 2017-18 to enhance our armed policing capability and capacity to be able to respond more quickly and effectively to a firearms attack. This means that the number of armed police will increase by more than 1,000. Additional round-the-clock specialist teams will be created outside London and 41 additional police armed response vehicles will be on the streets.
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Michael Louis David Fabricant (Conservative, Centre-right): I am concerned by the fact that a number of armed police officers have said to me, both here in the Palace of Westminster and in Downing Street, that they do not feel they have the freedom to act that they should have because of the rules of engagement. Can the rules be changed to make them fit for purpose?
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I recognise that this is sometimes a difficult issue. We have been reviewing the support we provide to our firearms officers so that they can carry out their crucial duties without fear, while ensuring there is necessary scrutiny. My hon. Friend has specific concerns about automatic suspension and firing first. I can confirm that only in exceptional circumstances would someone be automatically suspended for using their gun. There is no rule prohibiting officers from shooting first. Their decision is and must be based on an assessment of threat to life, including their own. I would be delighted if he would like to meet me or the Minister to discuss this matter further.
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I happily join the right hon. Gentleman in commending the announcement made by Mark Rowley and the work done in general by our counter-terrorism police officers in London and beyond. He is absolutely right that it is essential we do not think we can solve this issue simply by putting more money into it. We need to work closely with local communities, so that everybody plays a part in countering this vile crime.
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): The armed response capability of the British Transport Police is a relatively new function, yet the prospect of a mass casualty attack at one of our major transport interchanges is probably one of the more likely scenarios. Can the Home Secretary assure me that there is maximum integration and co-operation between the British Transport Police and local territorial police forces?
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I can reassure my hon. Friend that the local transport police and local police forces will always work closely together. We are very mindful of where the likely places might be for any attack. He is right that that will often involve large transport hub areas, so we are careful to give specific advice to those areas where necessary.
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady raises counter-radicalism, which is a very important element of our counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategy. I can reassure her that a lot of additional work is going on in prisons to ensure that counter-radicalism takes place. My right hon. Friend the Justice Secretary has taken additional steps to work with people who are being radicalised or are the sources of radicalisation. I hope that that will yield positive results.
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Home Secretary join me in praising the work of the east midlands operational support service, which places armed officers in the smaller cities and towns of the east midlands, and will she ensure that smaller cities have the resources they need? A terrorist attack is just as likely to happen in a city like Nottingham or Derby as in London.
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I will join him in commending the work of the east midlands service. We are mindful of the fact that, although London can be the central target, other cities could also be a target. We are mindful that our counter-terrorism efforts go way beyond London to other cities, but they are always intelligence-led.
Terrorism: Armed Police Protection — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that there has been a 30% increase in the budget for counter-terrorism and we expect that to continue. When it comes to ordinary policemen, I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will, like me, welcome the fact that crime has fallen by 25% since 2010. The key element is that our police forces have the tools to deliver that reduction in crime, and I believe that under this Government they do.
Retail Crime — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much welcome this question from my hon. Friend, who is chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on retail crime, which recently launched a report on this very subject. I can assure him that we take retail crime very seriously. I am co-chair of the National Retail Crime Steering Group with the British Retail Consortium, which brings together retailers and the police to understand the challenge and take effective action.
Retail Crime — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Martin John Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Minister for her reply, but she will be aware of growing concern among retailers about levels of both physical and verbal abuse. Will she do something to ensure that police across the country prioritise this issue sufficiently? Retailers are worried that different areas receive a different response from the different forces.
Retail Crime — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): Let us be absolutely clear: violence or verbal abuse of any kind is simply not acceptable for any workforce in our country. I shall take this issue forward through the national steering group, and will draw particularly on the very effective work that has been done between the police and forecourt retailers, where we put in place measures that are really improving police response around the country.
Retail Crime — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): The right hon. Gentleman makes an incredibly important point, and we very much work alongside USDAW on the national steering group that I mentioned. I absolutely back up his call that everybody should report crime. There are some excellent initiatives in town centres all over the country through which businesses and the police are working well together to ensure that such an increase in reporting happens.
Controlling and Coercive Behaviour — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current legislation on controlling and coercive behaviour; and if she will make a statement.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): Mrs Newton indeed, Mr Speaker We introduced the new offence of controlling and coercive behaviour to shift the focus of the criminal justice system from single incidents to identifying and addressing patterns of abuse. The Home Secretary will chair a working group to drive change in how we think about and tackle domestic abuse, and this will include closely monitoring the implementation of this new offence.
Controlling and Coercive Behaviour — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current legislation on controlling and coercive behaviour; and if she will make a statement.
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): This new offence was brought in right at the end of 2015, so the Office for National Statistics will not report on the level of uptake of the new police powers until later this spring. From my conversations with the police up and down the length and breadth of the country, I know that they are making very good use of the new powers.
Controlling and Coercive Behaviour — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current legislation on controlling and coercive behaviour; and if she will make a statement.; May I commend the Government for their recent action to combat coercive or controlling behaviour by creating this new offence? Will the Minister outline the work that police forces are doing up and down the country to combat crimes that disproportionately affect women, such as stalking?
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is quite right to talk about stalking, which can be a truly devastating crime. This Government are placing an absolute priority on keeping women and girls safe across our country through extra resources, extra training and new forces so that they can go after the perpetrators of these terrible and devastating crimes.
Controlling and Coercive Behaviour — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current legislation on controlling and coercive behaviour; and if she will make a statement.; May I commend the Government for their recent action to combat coercive or controlling behaviour by creating this new offence? Will the Minister outline the work that police forces are doing up and down the country to combat crimes that disproportionately affect women, such as stalking?
Sarah Louise Newton (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much welcome HMIC’s work in inspecting the police response to domestic abuse and violence. It is making excellent progress, as we saw in the police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy programme—PEEL—reports last week. However, the right hon. Lady is right to point out that some force areas have more work to do. That is why we are helping the College of Policing to ensure that training is available, and why we are investing record amounts in the police transformation fund, which is enabling more organisations to provide the services that women and girls all over the country deserve.
Leaving the EU: Policing — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What assessment she has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the relationship between British police forces and their counterparts in EU countries.
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): As the Prime Minister made clear in her Lancaster House speech in January, our commitment to co-operation with European partners on security and law enforcement will be undiminished by our leaving the European Union. The Home Office is working with operational law enforcement partners to examine all the different ways of delivering that result, and to find a practical, co-operative way of supplying certainty as we leave the EU.
Leaving the EU: Policing — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What assessment she has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the relationship between British police forces and their counterparts in EU countries.
Byron Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The sharing of intelligence with our European counterparts is vital to the work of our police forces in keeping our citizens and country safe, and data-sharing underpins that co-operation. How will the Home Office meet the challenge of maintaining those arrangements when Britain has left the European Union?
Leaving the EU: Policing — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What assessment she has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the relationship between British police forces and their counterparts in EU countries.
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The use of data is critical in our fight against cross-border crime and terrorism, and will always remain a priority for us. We value the co-operation that we have at present through the European Criminal Records Information System and the Schengen Information System. We want our future relationship with the EU to include practical arrangements so that we can engage with it on that basis, and I can reassure my hon. Friend that that is also what our EU partners want.
Leaving the EU: Policing — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: What assessment she has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the relationship between British police forces and their counterparts in EU countries.
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I certainly agree with the principle that the European arrest warrant is an effective tool that is essential to the delivery of effective judgment on the murderers, rapists and paedophiles on whom we have managed to seek judgment. It is a priority for us to ensure that we remain part of the arrangement, and I can reassure Members in all parts of the House that our European partners want to achieve that as well.
Police National Computer — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): The PNC central bureau is operated by the Metropolitan police, and it processes all licence notifications on behalf of police forces in England and Wales. A sample of transactions in the bureau are checked daily for accuracy by supervisors.
Police National Computer — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
John Luther Mercer (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand from Ministers that this problem was rectified last year, which I am happy to learn. However, is there any more the Department can do to work with families like the one here with me today whose son was murdered by an individual on licence? I pay tribute to Andrea Sharpe on her efforts to close this gap. Will the Department work with families to ensure that they get the support they need so that cases like that of Tanis Bhandari cannot happen again?
Police National Computer — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: Law and Crime
Brandon Kenneth Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an important point. Fortunately, very few of us in this House can ever understand or will ever have to go through what the family of Tanis Bhandari had to go through; that was a tragic incident that we all wish would never happen to anybody. My hon. Friend is right that the process around post-sentence supervision has changed following the implementation of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014, but I am always willing, as, I know, are colleagues at the Ministry of Justice—I think my hon. Friend has arranged for the family to meet the Secretary of State for Justice later today—to look at what more we can learn from the experiences of today and the past.
Leaving the EU: Residency Rights — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: If she will make it her policy for non-UK EU citizens resident in the UK to retain full residency rights after the UK has left the EU.; If she will make it her policy for non-UK EU citizens resident in the UK to retain full residency rights after the UK has left the EU.
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I will of course read the report with the respect and interest that it deserves. Nevertheless, I feel that reciprocity is an important part of securing the position not only of the EU nationals, who add such value to our economy and are so welcome here, but the UK citizens who live their lives abroad in the EU.
Leaving the EU: Residency Rights — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: If she will make it her policy for non-UK EU citizens resident in the UK to retain full residency rights after the UK has left the EU.; If she will make it her policy for non-UK EU citizens resident in the UK to retain full residency rights after the UK has left the EU.
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand the concerns that the right hon. Lady has raised. We have all experienced this as MPs in our surgeries. My point to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Brendan O’Hara) was that as MPs we can give that reassurance that EU citizens are valued here and that it is the Prime Minister’s intention to do that. We will make it a priority as we begin the EU negotiations.
Leaving the EU: Residency Rights — House of Commons, 2017-03-06
Topic: International Affairs
Questions: If she will make it her policy for non-UK EU citizens resident in the UK to retain full residency rights after the UK has left the EU.; If she will make it her policy for non-UK EU citizens resident in the UK to retain full residency rights after the UK has left the EU.
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): There are more than 1 million UK citizens living in the European Union, and they are not all represented by the groups that gave evidence to the Brexit Committee. I care about every one of those UK citizens, and I repeat that it is incumbent on the Government to ensure that we protect their position as much as we protect that of EU citizens.