argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The building regulations set out the materials that are compliant and those that are non-compliant. As we go through this process of looking at the materials that have been used in various blocks, the question of whether they comply with building regulations will need to be looked at. That issue will need to be looked at in relation to the public inquiry Work on the guidance for the building regulations is ongoing and, I would expect, imminent—it is not just a question of producing something; various organisations need to be consulted. We need to ensure that when the fire services and police have done their investigation, any action that is necessary immediately as a result of the identification of the cause of the fire and the reason it took such hold—the issue of particular concern—should be taken, and will be taken.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend might be interested to know that I spent about three hours on Monday quietly walking around the Grenfell Tower area talking to people. I met traumatised victims who did not want to go into the centres to get help, so clearly people need to go out to them. They were angry that there was no clear housing policy on when and where they were going to be rehoused. Above all, I found an enormous amount of work being done by voluntary bodies—all sorts of bodies—but there was a clear lack of co-ordination on how those bodies were to move forward together. I strongly support what my right hon. Friend has said this morning about establishing a high-level Government taskforce that is able to go into a similar disaster. It should be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to take over from the immediate Gold Command.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Public Lands
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for the work he has done and the feedback he has provided to Ministers following his conversations with residents and victims on the ground. He is absolutely right: the point has been made to key workers that they need to go out to see people, to ensure that they know what is available to them, rather than just expecting them to come into the centre. I can assure him that we are looking actively at what further resilience we can put into the system by establishing the sort of taskforce that he and I have both spoken about. None of us wants to see a circumstance like this happen again, but we must ensure that there is full resilience, where disasters take place.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Public Lands
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My understanding is that the fire service and BRE, which was on the scene early to look at that issue, have been identifying the cause of the fire and any contributory factors. They are testing the cladding on the building, and they expect to make the results public in, I think, the next 48 hours.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my right hon. Friend confirm whether the firefighters who attended this harrowing scene, and their families, will get the psychological support that they may well need in the months and years ahead? Will she commit to report back to the House on how that will be set up for them?
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes. My hon. Friend raises an important issue, which the Leader of the Opposition also touched on. I can confirm that we are ensuring that that support and counselling will be available. There will be further updates to the House on the response to the Grenfell Tower fire, and that will be an issue to be included.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): The London Resilience Forum has a number of multi-agency plans for things such as mass shelter, mass fatalities and mass casualties. Can we confirm whether those plans were fully implemented? Can we also ensure that what lessons we learn from the inquiry process are fed back into resilience forums, both in London and around the country, to ensure that the lessons are promptly implemented?
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Public Lands
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his question. He obviously has experience from when he was on the London Assembly and took a particular interest in the London Fire Brigade and fire service matters. I can indeed confirm that we have already looked at the whole question of resilience forums around the country. We will ensure that any lessons learned from the Grenfell Tower fire are fed into those resilience teams and forums, but we also need to ensure that resilience forums around the country are as resilient as they need to be in providing support should any disaster happen. We have seen this issue in relation to other disasters, such as flooding. We need to ensure that resilience forums are operating as they should at every local level.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Public Lands
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): First, may I congratulate the hon. Lady on her appointment as leader of the Plaid Cymru Members in this House? I assure her that we are doing everything we can, and, obviously, the inquiry will play an important part, through its identification of action that needs to be taken, in ensuring that a disaster such as this can never happen again.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my right hon. Friend confirm that if the cladding is found to be illegal and other research finds that other towers have been similarly clad, the public inquiry will extend its remit to look at investigations into all towers that are similarly clad?
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): We are dealing with the aftermath of a terrible disaster that has led to people losing their lives and others losing their homes and everything that they owned. We are ensuring that we are putting the steps in place. As I have said, I recognise that initially the response was not good enough, which is why we have stepped up that response. It is why—I did not respond to the right hon. and learned Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman), but I said this in my statement—I have indeed been chairing the Cobra meetings myself. And it is why we have been putting extra resource in, to ensure that that response is suitable. This will be an issue of looking at the regulations. As I said, my understanding is that these regulations were established in 2006, and we will be looking at those. The inquiry will look at them and at how they were applied; it will look at the actions of the local authority; and I am sure it will look at the issues that have been raised about the residents’ complaints in advance of this disaster about the tenant management organisation, and it will get to the bottom of who is responsible.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. As befits the occasion, these are thoughtful and solemn exchanges, but I must advise the House that progress thus far has been very slow. I am keen to try to accommodate the extent of the interest, and therefore I appeal to colleagues now to confine themselves to pithy, short, single-sentence questions, of which the hon. Member for North East Somerset (Mr Rees-Mogg) is a notable exponent.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Jacob William Rees-Mogg (Conservative, Centre-right): Thank you, Mr Speaker At the end of her compassionate and comprehensive statement, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said that we had to think about the people living very different lives from ourselves. As I am sure she knows, in opinion surveys going back over decades people never said they wanted to live in tower blocks. Can we change public policy so that tower blocks can become a thing of the past?
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. There are many people who do not wish to live in tower blocks, and there are some who are perfectly comfortable living in tower blocks. What we have to look at, however, is the approach taken to social housing; that is one of the lessons that comes from this disaster.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): That work is already being undertaken. First, local authorities and housing associations have undertaken the testing work of their blocks, and we encourage private landlords to do that, too, to ensure the fire safety. We encourage everybody to send in samples so that we can undertake this checking by lab testing. Local authorities are immediately informed if the material is combustible. They will then be looking, with their local fire services, at ensuring the safety of those buildings. That will be done in a number of ways, but of course there is a responsibility to ensure that people are housed safely, and the Government are working with local authorities to ensure that.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government published proposals on housing before the general election. We want to ensure that there are more affordable homes and that more houses are being built. We are putting half a billion pounds into dealing with homelessness.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Other
Rebecca Faye Clark (Pow) (Conservative, Centre-right): May I thank the Prime Minister for her detailed and compassionate statement? Does she agree that, although there are obviously legitimate questions surrounding the Grenfell tragedy and it is absolutely right that they must be asked, we should exercise caution in attributing blame or condemnation before we know the facts? As a former journalist, I feel really strongly about this. Scaremongering does not help anybody; getting to the bottom of things does.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Public Lands
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I thought I had responded to a number of questions on this. The Government are working with local authorities. We will ensure that any essential works in terms of remedial action necessary for the safety of these blocks in relation to fire are undertaken. We will work with local authorities to identify how that—
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Other
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that the best response I can give the hon. Lady on that matter is to refer her to the remarks I made on the steps of Downing Street when I became Prime Minister about a country that works for everyone.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Huw William Merriman (Conservative, Centre-right): I note that the Prime Minister said in her statement that all social landlords have been instructed to carry out additional fire safety checks, but that private landlords will be advised that they have the option of taking up the same facility. Can we ensure that the inquiry looks at both private and social tower blocks, because all citizens should be equal when it comes to safety and assurance?
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The important point about the Berkeley Homes development is that it is being ring-fenced for people who have been affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. That is the significance of this; it will be available purely for the people who have lost their home and been displaced as a result of this tragedy.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Civil Rights
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately (Conservative, Centre-right): We have heard that the residents of Grenfell Tower had spoken out about their fears but not been listened to, like so many of our constituents, on whose behalf we, as MPs, frequently write to organisations asking for them to be given a fair hearing, despite the dedication of many thousands of staff. I ask my right hon. Friend to look at the management systems and culture in organisations that serve the public to work out what needs to change to ensure that every citizen of this country, whoever and wherever they are, are not just heard but listened to.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Mixed Topics
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): We have always taken the issue of regulations in relation to safety very, very seriously indeed. The hon. Lady might know that when I was Home Secretary I was very clear that all regulation is not bad regulation; there is good regulation, which we need to ensure that we get right. The public inquiry will be asking that very question about fire regulation.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Kevin John Foster (Conservative, Centre-right): I am sure that the Prime Minister will share my view that it seems almost inconceivable that an organisation should spend £8.7 million on refurbishing a tower block and not include inflammable cladding and a sprinkler system. Will she confirm that, when we have the outcome of the public inquiry, there will be an opportunity to debate it on the Floor of the House, and time made available for any necessary legislation?
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising an issue that has not been raised with me before. I will look at the Localism Act. I think that there are reasons why that period of time was put into the Act. She is right that the issue of the response of the tenant management organisation has been raised, and that it needs to be looked at by the inquiry as it looks into the reasons for the fire.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): As regards the tests on the cladding, as soon as the results are available—the test can be done within hours of the samples being received—the local authorities, housing associations or private landlords will be informed of them.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I think it is important that when the inquiry looks at the implications of the fire, it assesses them for all tall buildings, not just those in which people live. Indeed, we are ensuring that we consider other tall buildings that might have been clad in a similar way, which might not be residential properties but used for other purposes.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): I made the point earlier that we need to ensure that any accommodation provided by local authorities or housing associations is safe. People are making assumptions about the work that needs to be done to ensure that. What needs to happen on the ground is for the local authority or housing association—the landlord—to work with the fire and rescue service to ensure that they can provide that safety.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Public Lands
Richard Michael John Ogilvie Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): When the Prime Minister considers her suggestion of a civil disaster taskforce, will she bear in mind one of the lessons of the severe Gloucestershire floods of 2007, which was to have a single leader at gold command responsible for co-ordinating all the different groups and controlling the media and information?
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): What we are doing is ensuring first of all that the fire service and landlords—local authorities and housing associations—assess what is needed for the safety of those properties. Where action is needed and work is needed, the Government will work with those landlords to ensure that that can be done.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have already said on the issue of sprinklers, some tests on retrofitting have been undertaken across the country, but it is not as simple as saying that retrofitting sprinklers is the one thing we need to do. There are a variety of ways in which action needs to be taken in blocks and what needs to happen is for the experts to assess that for every block.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): If the decision is made, in conjunction with the fire and rescue service, that work needs to be done on those tower blocks, there will be a discussion between the authority and the Department for Communities and Local Government about how that work can be undertaken and the provision of resources for that work.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): If the hon. Gentleman looks at the housing White Paper produced by the Government earlier this year, he will see that we clearly expect there to be a diversity of ways in which people will be in their homes. Some wish to own their homes and some wish to rent. Some wish to have rent-to-buy schemes and others wish to have shared ownership schemes. I want there to be diversity to suit people and their circumstances.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Public Lands
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): Fire services across the country are ensuring that they have the appropriate response to the fires with which they are dealing. Importantly, urban search and rescue as well as the London Fire Brigade were available for the Grenfell Tower fire. The resources were there and they were able to take the action that they took.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): There are fire safety and building regulations in place. Landlords have a responsibility for ensuring the safety of their properties. We are ensuring that facilities are available to them free of charge. I say, once again, that local authorities and housing associations are sending in samples. I encourage them and others to do so. As I said, the checking facilities are also available to the devolved Administrations.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Housing
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The fire and rescue service obviously does conduct checks. It does that in relation to residential properties of these sorts of tower blocks owned by local authorities and housing associations. It does so in conjunction with those landlords, and some of those checks will be conducted by landlords themselves.
Grenfell Tower — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Public Lands
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): The fire and rescue service has representation at the meetings that I have been chairing in relation to the response to Grenfell Tower. The issue of the advice that has been given to residents has been raised with it. Obviously this matter will need reflection and consideration, and I would expect it also to be one that the inquiry will look at.
Terror Attacks — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. At this early stage of the Parliament, can I just say something that I think is quite important for future reference? There are time limits for questioning on statements, which, in the last Parliament, were very substantially disregarded. That cannot happen in this Parliament, because it is not fair to Back Benchers. That is my first point My second point—forgive me; the right hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) is extraordinarily articulate and very experienced—is one that Opposition spokespersons frequently just do not seem to understand: in responding to a statement, the Chair is not expecting to hear a counter-statement. The Chair is looking to hear, as provided for in our procedures, a very brief response, followed by a series of questions. That should be the character of the response On this occasion, I will allow the right hon. Lady to finish, but I hope she will be sensitive to quite a widespread feeling in the House that she is approaching her peroration. Thereafter, we must observe these limits. If they are not observed, I will regretfully have to ask the spokesperson concerned to resume his or her seat.
Terror Attacks — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Civil Rights
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the right hon. Lady for her question. I share her concern: we must ensure that we do not see an increase in Islamophobia. We must be a country that can deal fairly with all communities. My hon. Friend the Minister for Policing and the Fire Service is meeting the Met commissioner, and he will raise that matter with her, thinking particularly of the right hon. Lady’s constituency of Barking.
Terror Attacks — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Other
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes. We have done, I think, 650 so far, and we are on schedule to do the rest as planned. Given the circumstances in which we now find ourselves, I will ensure that we do that.
Terror Attacks — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Civil Rights
Robert Edward Jenrick (Conservative, Centre-right): At the weekend, I drove my family back to London from my constituency. My wife and daughters are Jewish. We were met by a protest where there were anti-Semitic banners and chants and where people were waving Hezbollah flags—for those unfamiliar with the flag, I should add that it has a big machine gun on it. To make a mockery of the law, somebody had put a post-it note on one of the flags saying, "You cannot arrest me because I support the political wing of Hezbollah, not the military wing—this time." If enough really is enough, will the Home Secretary take action against such rallies, ban them, so that they can never happen on the streets of London again, and ensure that the whole of Hezbollah is a proscribed organisation?
Terror Attacks — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Other
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his question. It is always distressing to see that sort of march going on, and the provocation that he describes must have been very upsetting for him and his family. I will certainly consider what he has suggested and come back to discuss it with him and, if needed, the House.
Terror Attacks — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. There is a balance of obligations today. On the one hand, I am keen to accommodate the extensive interest in this matter. On the other hand, I should advise the House that the business statement follows, in which there is usually interest, and that no fewer than 29 colleagues wish to speak in this afternoon’s debate on the Gracious Speech, of whom five are would-be maiden speakers. I would like to accommodate them, so brevity is imperative.
Terror Attacks — House of Commons, 2017-06-22
Topic: Civil Rights
Robert Alexander Courts (Conservative, Centre-right): I am fortunate to know the Muslim community in west Oxfordshire well, and I wonder whether the Home Secretary can provide further details of how the commission will work with local communities to our mutual benefit.