argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Housing
Questions: In my city of Plymouth, local campaigns seem to regularly mislead my constituents on the spare room subsidy, something that many people see as a fair way of bringing about parity between the social and private rental sectors. I commend the Government, therefore, for making funds available for specific cases where the spare room subsidy is not appropriate. However, will the Minister confirm that Plymouth City Council has chosen to return that discretionary housing payment to central Government every year, so no one should be struggling as a result of this policy?; What advice does my hon. Friend have for groups such as the Aireborough neighbourhood forum in my constituency, which finds itself in a constant fight with its local authority in trying to make progress? In this instance, Leeds City Council appears to be ignoring Government advice on brownfield sites, without any consequences.; Will my hon. Friend confirm that if the people of Redditch want to be a full member of the west midlands combined authority, they will also be able to take part in directly electing a mayor?; Aberdeen has supported oil, with our residents having to put up with the bad and the good that comes with this. The UK Government have tried to tell Aberdeen that their £125 million of investment will inspire hundreds of millions of pounds of investment from currently hard-pressed Aberdeen businesses. What will the UK Government be doing to encourage businesses in Aberdeen that are suffering, along with the rest of us, to stump up cash?; Under Mayor Livingstone, the number of new housing starts in London plummeted as a direct result of developers walking away from unaffordable sites, thanks to the 50% affordable housing target. What does my hon. Friend think would happen if the new Mayor were to introduce a 50% affordable housing target?; The Inverness city deal from Highland Council is based on the idea of a region for young people. The Highlands area has, over many decades, seen a drain of young people. Much work has been done to address this, including the opening of the Inverness campus, but more needs to be done to attract and retain young people. A plan such as the one put forward can help to rebalance the population demographic. Does the Minister agree that the aims of the plan and the statement of intent are worthy of support?; Only 94 of 1,600 asylum-seeking children and care leavers in Kent have been taken in by other areas under the voluntary dispersal scheme. With more refugee children coming, how will my hon. Friend’s Department get local authorities across the country to accept their share of the asylum-seeking children who are already here?
Daniel Stephen Zeichner (Labour, Centre-left): The Local Government Association is predicting that the Government’s pay-to-stay proposals will lead to some 60,000 council tenants leaving their homes. At the same time, councils are saying that they do not know how much their tenants earn. Will the Minister for Housing and Planning explain to councils how and why they should be asking their tenants how much they earn?
Junior Doctors’ Contract Negotiations — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Roberta Carol Blackman-Woods (Labour, Centre-left): Junior doctors in my constituency are only very reluctantly taking action on Wednesday. They are supported by many of my constituents, who think that it is simply a disgrace that junior doctors are being forced to take industrial action because the Government are simply failing to address the legitimate concerns raised by the BMA. I heard the Minister say that his door is open, but what he is actually going to do to settle the dispute, and does he think it helps to denigrate the BMA in the Chamber this afternoon?
Junior Doctors’ Contract Negotiations — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Christian John Patrick Matheson (Labour, Centre-left): I am sure that Ministers have a very clear idea of how their proposals will affect working practices, so may I ask this Minister on how many occasions last year a junior doctor worked 91 or more hours in a week?
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Immigration
Yvette Cooper (Labour, Centre-left): I strongly welcome the results of the London conference and the leadership shown by the Secretary of State and others in Government. That is immensely important. She said that Britain is also helping refugees in Europe, but the honest truth is that the help being provided to them is tiny. There are refugees in Greece and the Balkans, and close to home in Dunkirk and Calais, who are in worse humanitarian conditions than those in the region and who are being denied support by Governments, the United Nations and aid agencies because they are in Europe. Children are suffering from scabies, bronchitis and cold. How much of the London conference funding will go towards helping refugees in Europe? If the answer is none, what is the Secretary of State doing to hold a similar pledging conference to help the refugees in Europe?
Syria Crisis: UK Response — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Immigration
Andrew John Gwynne (Labour, Centre-left): I echo the concerns of my right hon. Friend the Member for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) about the squalid conditions of some of the refugee camps not just in Syria and the region but in Europe. What assessment has the Department made of the health risks, particularly the public health risks, arising from those squalid conditions? What more can be done to alleviate the conditions in which refugees are living?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
David Julian Winnick (Labour, Centre-left): May I again tell the Secretary of State about the ongoing cuts in my borough because of the lack of funding? Would he be willing to meet the Tory leader of the council to discuss what is happening on the ground and the adverse impact on my constituents and others in the borough of the continuing cuts? Will he come to the borough to see for himself what is happening and to see that I am in no way exaggerating the position?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Kevan David Jones (Labour, Centre-left): For the benefit of the PPSs, my local authority is County Durham. It is a bit off, Mr Speaker, that the Secretary of State has all the figures, but they have not been released to councils, which means we have no way of scrutinising his answers. I wish to raise the point also raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) about the Better Care Fund. I agree with the Secretary of State that this issue affects all councils, but County Durham has a low council tax base, as most of its properties are in bands A or B. He just said this will be taken care of in the formula. Will he meet me and north-east MPs whose councils are disadvantaged by not being able to raise the cash that larger authorities, such as Westminster, can?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Diana Ruth Johnson (Labour, Centre-left): Hull is the 10th most deprived area in the country, and over the next year it faces spending cuts on average nearly 50% greater than those faced by county councils, so will the Secretary of State explain to my constituents why county councils are getting additional moneys, but not areas such as Hull?
Local Government Finance — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Andrew John Gwynne (Labour, Centre-left): I always had the Secretary of State down as a fairly bright chap, but this would be a fair settlement only if it were predicated on every area having an equal council tax base and equal levels of need. Representing as I do a cross-borough constituency—for the PPSs, that is Tameside and Stockport—I know that those two local authorities are very different in their ability to raise income. Tameside, for example, this year has a £16 million deficit in adult social care. The levy on council tax—the 2% precept—will raise £1.4 million only. How does the Secretary of State plan to fill that gap?
Social Security — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Immigration
Andrew John Gwynne (Labour, Centre-left): The hon. Lady is making an important point, which is rather pertinent to some of my earlier interventions. Is it not incumbent on the Government and on Ministers to communicate those changes properly? Do we not run the risk of repeating some of the mistakes that have impacted on the WASPI women, because those people will be bitterly disappointed when they realise that they are not entitled to what they expected?
Great Western Railway Routes — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Other
Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw (Labour, Centre-left): I entirely agree, and we look forward to hearing the Minister respond at the end of this debate. I intend to finish with what I hope will be an attractive suggestion to all those Conservative Members who were swept to power—
Great Western Railway Routes — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw (Labour, Centre-left): Yes, and we have already had a new station opened just outside my constituency—and the investment programme for it was put in place by the Labour Government, so I am very grateful that the Minister did not cut it. [Interruption.] Of course I am grateful for that.
Great Western Railway Routes — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw (Labour, Centre-left): No, I will not. I am finishing and the hon. Lady can speak in the debate More than 12 Conservative Members with constituencies in Devon and Cornwall could stop the Government putting that money through if they do not get what this Government promised over the next five years. I challenge them to do that—to stick up for their constituents, stick up for the south-west and stop taking no for an answer.
Great Western Railway Routes — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Ifor Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour, Centre-left): May I take this opportunity to stress the importance of access for wheelchair users? My friend Simon Green from the Bridgend Coalition for Disabled People stresses that, very often, in railway carriages there is space for only one wheelchair, so two people travelling together have to be split up. It would be great if we looked at the possibility of different variations in the new rolling stock.
Great Western Railway Routes — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Other
Ifor Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour, Centre-left): I winced only because I could feel the whole population west of Cardiff wincing at the same time as we were told that that was an interim measure to get us there. I do understand the point the Minister was making, however. Will the right hon. Lady—
Flood Insurance for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alexander Cunningham (Labour, Centre-left): I am grateful to my former Education Committee comrade for securing this debate and for giving way. This afternoon, I met Alan Smith, the leader of Allerdale council, to hear of the problems in his area and his worries for small and large businesses. Of concern is the fact that excesses of several tens of thousands of pounds are needed in order to secure insurance. What specific role should the Government have in developing some form of Flood Re type scheme for businesses, perhaps with some of that underwriting money that we have for domestic issues?
Flood Insurance for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Public Lands
Rachael Helen Maskell (Labour, Centre-left): Today, I received a briefing from the ABI saying that it was not going to look at the issue of small businesses having a Flood Re scheme, and that small businesses could shop around for insurance. I know from my constituency of York Central that that simply does not happen, and is not possible. Businesses in my constituency are putting forward their own resources instead of claiming from their insurance company. Is it not crucial that the Government move forward with a Flood Re scheme for small businesses to make sure that they are protected in future?
Flood Insurance for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Public Lands
Holly Jamie Walker-Lynch (Labour, Centre-left): Does the hon. Gentleman agree that bigger and smaller businesses alike may be significant employers for neighbouring constituencies, and the thought of flooding just once is so serious that they may think of moving out of the Calder Valley? The loss of those jobs, and the loss of the business rates those businesses pay and the support that they provide to communities, is serious. Business insurance is a big part of ensuring that we are an attractive place in which to keep trading.
Flood Insurance for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-02-08
Topic: Public Lands
Melanie Onn (Labour, Centre-left): Does the hon. Gentleman agree that a strategy to provide upfront support for businesses, protecting their properties from flooding in the first place, would bring down insurance premiums, save the Government money on repair funding and save businesses lost revenue in the long run?
EU Withdrawal: Changes to UK Legal Framework — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Chinyelu Susan Onwurah (Labour, Centre-left): Newcastle has a thriving legal services sector with many internationally renowned firms as well as two excellent degree courses at our universities. Does the Attorney General agree that leaving the European Union would mean that we would face years of uncertainty and confusion over our legal framework, which would necessarily undermine the success of our legal and financial services sectors?
EU Withdrawal: Changes to UK Legal Framework — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Nicklaus Thomas-Symonds (Labour, Centre-left): A condition of our membership of the European Union is that we are also a signatory to the European convention on human rights. Can the Attorney General confirm that this Government are committed to remaining a signatory to the convention and not to join Belarus, the only European country that is not a signatory?
New Junior Doctor Contract — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Questions: What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the effect on gender equality of the proposed new junior doctor contract.; What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the effect of the proposed new junior doctor contract on women in that profession.
Katherine Anne Green (Labour, Centre-left): It surprised me to hear both the Minister today and the Prime Minister, during Prime Minister’s questions yesterday, claiming that the contract is good for women, when the equality impact assessment provided by the Minister’s own officials specifically says that it will have a disproportionate impact on women—an equality impact assessment that the Minister will not be at all surprised to hear that I have read in detail. How can it be right to introduce a contract, announce its imposition in Parliament in February and then only sneak out the equality impact assessment six weeks later during recess? Will he and his colleagues get back to the negotiating table and negotiate a contract that is good for patients and good for all junior doctors?
State Pension Age — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Diana Ruth Johnson (Labour, Centre-left): Is the Minister aware of the recent Dutch case of a woman who was affected by changes to her retirement age, with more notice than many women in the UK have received? In that case it was found that the woman’s human rights had been breached. Does the Minister think women in this country have had their human rights breached by the action that his Government have taken?
Effects of 2016 Budget — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Dawn Petula Butler (Labour, Centre-left): The Government’s own figures show that since 2010 there has been a dramatic drop—more than 10,000—in the number of women taking equal pay cases to the tribunal, yet over the same period there has been a significant increase in the number of men doing so. Can the Minister explain those figures?
Maternity Discrimination — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Gareth Thomas (Labour, Centre-left): I welcome the Minister’s answer. I am aware of a number of cases of new mothers in my constituency who have lost their jobs after giving birth or experienced some other form of discrimination at work. Will he set out a timescale for implementation of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s recommendations, and will he create an opportunity, through the usual channels, for a debate in the House on that work?
LGBT Young People — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Clive Anthony Lewis (Labour, Centre-left): With Stonewall research showing that 55% of young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people experience bullying, I am pleased to hear that the Government are spending extra money, but what else will they be doing to ensure that those issues are covered in the curriculum as well?
LGBT Young People — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Housing
Clive Stanley Efford (Labour, Centre-left): Albert Kennedy Trust research has identified that 24% of the homeless youth population are LGBT. That is a disturbing figure, and the Government are planning to cut housing benefit for people under the age of 21. Does the Secretary of State think that the situation is going to get worse or better for those young people?
Gender Pay Gap — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Andrew John Gwynne (Labour, Centre-left): Since the Government introduced tribunal fees, the number of equal pay claims has fallen dramatically. The Government talk the talk on equal pay, but why are they making it more difficult for women to challenge unfair pay claims?
Employment Tribunal Fees — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions: What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the effect of the introduction of employment tribunal fees on access to justice for women who have experienced discrimination at work.
Justin Piers Richard Madders (Labour, Centre-left): The review has apparently been on the Minister’s desk since February, so I hope we get to hear the outcome soon. According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, less than 1% of maternity discrimination claims now proceed to an employment tribunal. That means that 99 out of every 100 women who are discriminated against because of their pregnancy have no legal redress. Is he proud of that record or ashamed?
Gender Pay Gap — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Civil Rights
Peter John Kyle (Labour, Centre-left): The private sector has made great progress in gender equality in recent years, but there is still a big problem. Research by Simon Fanshawe has proved that there are more men called Andrew, David and John in senior positions in FTSE 100 companies than there are women. What more can the Government do to incentivise good practice and better gender equality in the FTSE 100? [Interruption.]
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Other
Christopher John Bryant (Labour, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Is there a means by which I can correct the Leader of the House, because he suggested earlier that I was in favour of keeping vellum? A Business Minister tells me that we need to keep vellum because we have been printing statute law on it for 1,000 years. Well, we certainly have not been printing anything for 1,000 years, we have not had statute law for 1,000 years, and we certainly have not been putting it on vellum for 1,000 years. I do not support keeping vellum.
BBC: Diversity — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Gareth Thomas (Labour, Centre-left): Given the lack of diversity at the very top of the BBC, on its board, is it not now time to think about having a radical reorganisation of the BBC’s top management, potentially with elected directors for the board?
BBC: Diversity — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Civil Rights
David Lindon Lammy (Labour, Centre-left): My hon. Friend is good at radical ideas—he is known for them—and that is certainly one. I am not going to stake my name today on what the change should be, but clearly we have come to a point—perhaps that is why the issue is on the Floor of the House for the first time—where we want step change. Change cannot be incremental any longer. I say that because if we treasure our public service broadcaster and the universality that it represents, I am afraid that in a multi-platform world, where people can turn to other services, that broadcaster is going to be in deep trouble if it does not step up pretty quickly In 2015, 9.2% of the BBC’s senior leadership were black, Asian and minority ethnic. Looking beneath the surface, in TV the percentage drops to 7.1%; in news, the figure for senior leaders who are BAME drops to 5.8%. The lack of diversity at management and senior levels creates a dangerous vicious circle. If those decision makers are not from diverse backgrounds, content and programming will lack fresh narratives and insight, and will not speak to the breadth of this country. When we have all the same people at the top, hiring people in their own image, the circle simply stays closed.
BBC: Diversity — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Clive Anthony Lewis (Labour, Centre-left): Does the hon. Lady agree that there would be some benefit in redacting not just the names of people on applications but the school and university they went to as well, taking into account the impact Oxbridge and what schools people attend, in particular independent schools, have on people gaining employment? Recent research by the Sutton Trust shows that in the fields of law and journalism and so on, the school and university that people have gone to have a massive impact on applications.
BBC: Diversity — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Other
Natascha Engel (Labour, Centre-left): Just before I call the next speaker, we have more or less the right amount of time for every single Member to get in with about 10 to 12 minutes, but not much more than that if we want to start the wind-ups at 4.30 pm. With that in mind, I call Julie Elliott.
BBC: Diversity — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Chuka Harrison Umunna (Labour, Centre-left): Let me first congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy) on initiating the debate. Does the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr Turner) really believe that the Daily Mail is the best arbiter of the impartiality or otherwise of a great institution like the BBC?
BBC: Diversity — House of Commons, 2016-04-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Dawn Petula Butler (Labour, Centre-left): I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy) and the hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Mrs Grant) on securing this important debate I wish to talk about two things: optics and solutions. The optics of what we do are very important, both in this place and in the BBC. There is the saying, "You can’t be what you can’t see." Sometimes, I like to change that to, "You can be what you can see", which means that we need to see more diversity in the BBC. I accompany that with a short story A friend of mine—an actor—and I were talking many years ago. He said he could not find any jobs in the UK, although he had been on "Absolutely Fabulous", and he was going to America. We had a big debate on whether that was a good idea. I was sad to see him leave, but he did very well—his name is Idris Elba, and he is now a household name. It is a shame that we could not keep his talent in-house in the first place. Black people get very excited when they see other black people on TV. I remember the days of T-Mobile, when the phone would ring after 7 o’clock—the calls were free then—and someone would ask, "Did you see that black person on this TV station?" It was the talk of the community. Optics are just so important.