argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
National Park Authorities — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Public Lands
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the criteria involves providing advice and challenge. It is important that we continue to build new homes right across the country, but we need to balance that with maintaining the protection of our most beautiful landscapes. My right hon. Friend might be aware that there is to be a national parks review, and I will certainly draw his concerns to the reviewer’s attention.
National Park Authorities — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Public Lands
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The national parks tend to reflect a more rural, countryside landscape than an urban environment. There are different ways to identify the conservation areas that are often prevalent across towns and cities, including those in West Yorkshire. I will share the hon. Gentleman’s concerns with the Minister responsible for this portfolio, my hon. Friend Lord Gardiner.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: This week, the European Parliament’s PECH Committee adopted a report that would make the UK’s access to the EU market for fishery and aquaculture products dependent on EU vessels’ access to British waters and on the application of the common fisheries policy. That is unacceptable, so will the Secretary of State confirm the Government’s commitment that the UK will become an independent coastal state at the end of the implementation period, free from the CFP?; Many of my constituents from Blaydon have contacted me about the need to ban wild animals in circuses, so will the Secretary of State guarantee that such a ban will be on the statute book and say when it will happen?; The Secretary of State is doing incredibly well with the banning of the ivory trade, which is helping endangered elephants, but what is he doing about other endangered species, such as gorillas, lions, giraffes and leopards, to name but a few?
Michael Andrew Gove (Conservative, Centre-right): The Foreign Secretary and I—[Interruption.] —will be holding a conference on the illegal wildlife trade in the autumn. It will be our aim to ensure that many of the creatures that my hon. Friend mentioned—charismatic megafauna or, as you and I would think of them, Mr Speaker, attractive big beasts—are preserved for the future.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Public Lands
Questions: This week, the European Parliament’s PECH Committee adopted a report that would make the UK’s access to the EU market for fishery and aquaculture products dependent on EU vessels’ access to British waters and on the application of the common fisheries policy. That is unacceptable, so will the Secretary of State confirm the Government’s commitment that the UK will become an independent coastal state at the end of the implementation period, free from the CFP?; Many of my constituents from Blaydon have contacted me about the need to ban wild animals in circuses, so will the Secretary of State guarantee that such a ban will be on the statute book and say when it will happen?; The Secretary of State is doing incredibly well with the banning of the ivory trade, which is helping endangered elephants, but what is he doing about other endangered species, such as gorillas, lions, giraffes and leopards, to name but a few?; Last month, the UK and Hong Kong issued a joint statement on trade collaboration, but there was no mention of food and drink. Is that a sign of things to come? Will the Minister enlighten the House on why the food and drink industry was left on the shelf?; Following the successful campaign by the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, when will the Government introduce legislation to toughen up sentences for animal cruelty?; My Food Insecurity Bill contains a cost-neutral proposal to measure UK hunger. It is supported by 77% of the public, over 100 MPs across the House, two cross-party groups and more than 20 organisations, but it is not supported by the Government. Why?
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be more than delighted to meet the hon. Lady. She will be aware of the Government’s ongoing investment to improve defences, but I am more than happy to discuss further resilience measures that home owners and business owners can take.
Freedom of Religion or Belief — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England had at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 on freedom of religion or belief; and if she will make a statement.
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Commonwealth initiative for freedom of religion or belief convened a two-day summit at Lambeth Palace last week involving 40 parliamentarians and religious leaders from 11 Commonwealth countries. The aim of the meeting was to look at ways in which parliamentarians and leaders from across the Commonwealth could champion freedom of religion or belief.
Freedom of Religion or Belief — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England had at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 on freedom of religion or belief; and if she will make a statement.
Martin John Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): That is encouraging to hear. The Commonwealth and the Church of England have similar values where they overlap. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that the two organisations continue to work in unison to influence Governments in countries where freedom of religion is not respected?
Freedom of Religion or Belief — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England had at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 on freedom of religion or belief; and if she will make a statement.
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): The geography of the Anglican Communion and the Commonwealth do overlap; in fact the communion is larger still. The charter of the Commonwealth contains a commitment to freedom of religion or belief, but the truth is that not all members abide by that. The personal relationships built at Commonwealth meetings and across the Anglican Communion mean that faith communities must advocate for the same global standards for freedom of religion and belief.
Freedom of Religion or Belief — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England had at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 on freedom of religion or belief; and if she will make a statement.
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): A number of actions were agreed at that seminar. For Lambeth Palace and the Anglican Communion, freedom of religion remains an important priority. Every time the Archbishop of Canterbury visits a Commonwealth country where there is a problem you can be sure, Mr Speaker, that he will raise it Part of the initiative in the Commonwealth involves developing a toolkit that Members of Parliament can use to champion issues of freedom of religion and belief in our constituencies.
Freedom of Religion or Belief — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England had at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 on freedom of religion or belief; and if she will make a statement.
Fiona Claire Bruce (Conservative, Centre-right): Is the Church of England aware of deeply disturbing reports that restrictions on the freedom of Christians to practise their faith have severely increased this year in China, including a ban on taking children under 18 to church? If so, what step is the Church taking on this?
Out-of-school Education — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the Government response to the consultation on out-of-school education settings.
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is essential that the Government combat radicalisation, but in a way that does not mean the state encroaching on the realm of religion or crossing the Rubicon in a way that could one day lead to the assessment of Sunday schools and the like?
Out-of-school Education — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church of England has made of the Government response to the consultation on out-of-school education settings.
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman raises a serious point. I heard the broadcast of the "Sunday" programme about an Australian Senator who is pioneering an amendment to Australia’s modern-day slavery legislation to ensure that the whole world wises up to the risks associated with donating to orphanages that might be a scam or a front for children who are subsequently trafficked, or certainly put at risk. All of us need to be aware in our dealings with our constituents and their churches of the need to look carefully at where those resources go and how they are used.
Protection of Churches — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent discussions the Church of England has had with local authorities on protecting historic church buildings and settings.
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): The Church works closely with Historic England and other bodies to provide advice and guidance for local authorities. In most cases, good and sensible decisions are made. Disputes do arise in a small number of cases, such as at my own parish church, where the argument was eventually won that we could use a lead substitute product after the lead had been stolen twice.
Protection of Churches — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent discussions the Church of England has had with local authorities on protecting historic church buildings and settings.
Caroline Alice Spelman (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand that the local authority has taken a decision that would adversely affect the setting of this beautiful grade I listed Anglo-Saxon church. I will be in discussion with the diocese about what support we can provide as a stakeholder in this important decision.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): Yesterday, I gave evidence to the Select Committee on Home Affairs about the Windrush generation—the people who contributed so much and who should never have experienced what they have. These people are here legally and should never have been subjected to any form of removal action; and, as I told the Home Affairs Committee yesterday, I have seen no evidence that that has happened Everyone in this House agrees that this group were here legally, but also that people who are here illegally should be treated differently from legal migrants. I am personally committed to tackling illegal migration because I have seen at first hand the terrible impact that it has on the most vulnerable in our society—the exploitation and abuse that can come hand-in-hand with illegal migration. That is why my Department has been working to increase the number of illegal migrants we remove I have never agreed that there should be specific removal targets and I would never support a policy that puts targets ahead of people. The immigration arm of the Home Office has been using local targets for internal performance management. These were not published targets against which performance was assessed, but if they were used inappropriately, then I am clear that this will have to change. I have asked officials to provide me with a full picture of the performance measurement tools which were used at all levels, and I will update the House, and the Home Affairs Committee, as soon as possible.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I would like to make the very clear distinction between legal and illegal migrants. The right hon. Lady talks about the Windrush cohort. We have already established that the Windrush cohort is here legally. This Government are determined to put this right, which is why I put in the new measures to ensure that that happens I believe that I have addressed the issue of targets, referring to the fact that some offices are working with them. Unfortunately, I was not aware of them, and I want to be aware of them, which is why I am now putting in place different measures to ensure that that happens.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Nicholas Soames (Conservative, Centre-right): Will my right hon. Friend be assured that she has the total support of Conservative Members in trying to resolve a very difficult legacy issue? Does she agree that dealing with the Windrush generation, who are entirely entitled to be here, is not the same thing at all, as Labour Members try to say, as removing illegal immigrants?
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for putting it so clearly; it is such an important distinction to make. This Government, like many Governments before, including Labour Governments, took action against illegal immigrants. Some former Labour Home Secretaries had some very clear targets about removing illegal migrants. Removing illegal migrants is what Governments should be doing in order to protect the taxpayer and in order to make sure that no abuse takes place in the UK.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I think that once more the hon. Lady is confusing legal and illegal migrants. Like any other Member of this House, I do not think that she would want the UK to be a home for illegal migrants. That is why we have policies which make it difficult for illegal migrants to thrive in the UK. That is exactly the right thing to do. It was started under former Governments. It has been continued under this one because we must remove people who are here illegally.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I urge my right hon. Friend not to be knocked off course by the Opposition parties on the issue of illegal immigration. Most people in the real world, outside of the Labour party, the Scottish National party and the metropolitan London elite in the media, believe that the Government do not do enough to remove illegal immigrants from this country, not that they are doing too much. All the Opposition parties are demonstrating is how out of touch they have become with working-class communities up and down the country.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his comment. He is right; the public expect us to remove illegal migrants who are here and who do damage to our society, and it is right that the Home Office has a policy which makes sure that that has happened. Once more, I want to be absolutely clear that that is not the case with the Windrush cohort, who are here legally, and the group of people we are reaching out to, to make sure that we support them and get the documentation they need.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Other
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): The right hon. Lady raised that with me yesterday, and I said to her then, as I repeat here, that I will look into that and come back to her with an answer to that question as soon as I can.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): The right hon. Gentleman asked early on about the issue of removals, and I have addressed it in the action that I have taken and in the report that I gave to the Select Committee yesterday. We have established that there were 8,000 people within the cohort who might have had Windrush characteristics—the indication that he has put in his social media—and we have gone through them and found that of the 7,000 we have looked at by hand, none qualify in terms of removal. He quite rightly continues to ask questions about what might have happened in different situations, but I must respond by saying that until we have looked, we cannot have a definitive answer. It has come as some element of surprise to have this particular shape as a number of cases that came to the Home Office over a period. As we discussed yesterday in the Select Committee, there were indications, but they were not put together as the systemic failure that clearly took place.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative, Centre-right): The Opposition talk about a culture of fear being spread, but is my right hon. Friend aware that it was the shadow Home Secretary in 2013 who complained about a reduction in the number of illegal immigrants being deported?
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend raises an important point. There are plenty of examples and quotations from the Labour party about its targets and determination to remove illegals. Removing illegals is something that everybody and every Government should do and want to do, and this Government make no excuse for wanting to do it, but the Windrush group, whom we all respect, are a completely separate group, are legal, and we want to make sure that we look after them.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is right of course that exit checks are an important part of securing our borders and knowing who comes and goes, and I am very pleased that this Government reintroduced them in 2015.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Other
John Simon Bercow (Conservative, Centre-right): Order. I am keen to accommodate a few more colleagues, but there is huge pressure on time and therefore all inquiries, without exception, need to be brief, and the responses characteristically so from the Home Secretary.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Philip Thomas Hollobone (Conservative, Centre-right): May I commend the Home Secretary for her response to the Windrush scandal but press her on the separate issue of illegal immigration? Press reports this week show that 27,000 illegal immigrants have been arrested by 28 forces in the past four years. Why is it being left to the police to arrest illegal immigrants? Why are they not being stopped at the border?
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I accept that we should do more at the border, although there are areas where we are having some success. I point, in particular, to our juxtaposed border in France, in Calais, where we stop an enormous number of illegals trying to get to the UK. We are investing more money, alongside the French, to make sure we can have more success there, so I hope that my hon. Friend will see some progress.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): As I said to the hon. Gentleman yesterday at the Select Committee hearing, as a result of the Windrush scandal, we are going back to 2002 to look at whether there have been any inappropriate deportations, and when we have that information, I will come back to the Committee.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Robert John Blackman (Conservative, Centre-right): When I was elected in May 2010, I was shocked by the sheer number of unresolved immigration cases I had to deal with straightaway. Does my right hon. Friend recall that under the last Labour Government, the then Home Secretary had to have two separate amnesties because no one knew how many people were here?
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): Immigration is a really important part of the role of the Home Office and the Home Secretary. It is not the only part, but it is one in which I take a serious interest, and I believe that the changes I will be making will enable better monitoring of issues that arise, such as that of the Windrush cohort, which, as we have discussed, is a situation that has been going on for many years and was not spotted by any previous Government. I hope that those changes will help to give me those sorts of alerts.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Mixed Topics
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I do think it is important to set up a compensation package; it is important that that compensation is independently monitored; and it is important that a consultation is carried out before that takes place. I hope that my hon. Friend will be satisfied when I set that out in due course.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I repeat to the hon. Gentleman that I have not authorised any targets for the future. I have seen the information that has been revealed, and I have heard about the types of phrases that the hon. Member for Arfon (Hywel Williams) referred to, and that were apparently used to the Committee. I thoroughly disagree with that; I think we should have a compassionate, clear and informed approach to immigration, and I am going to ensure that that happens.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Matthew Robert Warman (Conservative, Centre-right): May I ask that the Home Secretary bears in mind the views of my constituents, who have praised the compassion that she has expressed on behalf of the Windrush generation but also said that they would like a continued focus on the removal of illegal migrants who take advantage, unfairly, of all law-abiding taxpayers?
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for his question. Although I do not in any way minimise the serious nature of what took place with the Windrush group, I agree with him that in the vast majority of cases and situations, my office and UK Visas and Immigration do an excellent job, and I am proud of the work that they do.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): The targets that were apparently being looked at were for illegal migrants, so I think it is wholly different. There may be a time for a discussion about legal migration, but at the moment I think it is right that our focus is on illegal migration to make sure that it is handled in a fair, compassionate and transparent way.
Home Office Removal Targets — House of Commons, 2018-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Amber Rudd (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an important point about the strong difference between legal and illegal migration. If Opposition Members looked back at their own former Home Secretaries, they would find some very strong language and some clear targets on removing illegals from this country.