argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Childhood Cancer Outcomes — House of Commons, 2022-04-26
Topic: Other
Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention and I completely agree. Every year in April, the month that Rayhan died, the neighbours of Rayhan’s family decorate their street in yellow, his favourite colour. His nursery has a bench to commemorate him. Rayhan was, and is, a much-loved boy. He died four years ago this month. This was a tribute from his mum, Nadia, on the anniversary of his death: "When you were born you brought the sunshine with you and when you left, the colours drained out of our lives and this world has not been the same since You had to experience many things in your short life here that no child should ever have to, and many adults do not even experience in a lifetime We hope wherever you are it is worlds apart from all the pain, procedures and trauma you had to endure here and that we couldn’t protect you from We hope that in your new world, you are healed, happy and free to play, run and be a child again We are sure that you will be lighting up the heavens with your brilliance, that your laughter is echoing through the gardens of Jannah, that you are surrounded by friends aplenty and that you are having the most amazing, wondrous time, seeing and doing things that we cannot even imagine We love and miss you beyond measure Rayhan. Your Dad, your big brother, your little sister, all your family and I We include, remember and honour you everyday and we will never let you be forgotten. You are still our boy and the heart of our family even though you are not in the same world Our beautiful little Ray of Sunshine, our darling child, we miss you always, we love you forever 4 years with you didn’t feel like enough, yet 4 years without you has felt like a lifetime Rest in Peace our darling boy."
Ukraine — House of Commons, 2022-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Alison Emily Thewliss (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I have many constituents who are finding the situation incredibly frustrating, including Rachel Smith, who has been trying to get people over here. She applied to the scheme more than a month ago but has heard nothing and has basically been told, "Don’t call us; we’ll call you." Does my hon. Friend agree that that is completely unacceptable to people who are fleeing a war zone?
Ukraine — House of Commons, 2022-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Margaret Ferrier (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I personally have had two constituents contact me in just the past two days about situations where only some members of a family have been granted a visa to come to the UK. As such, the family have found themselves stranded in an unfamiliar country without the means to support themselves. Does the hon. Member agree that the Home Office whistleblower’s concerns are disturbing and must be addressed immediately?
Nationality and Borders Bill — House of Commons, 2022-04-26
Topic: Immigration
Stuart Campbell McDonald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The point I am trying to make, Madam Deputy Speaker, if I would be allowed, is that these amendments would bring the Government much closer to fulfilling their 2019 manifesto commitments than anything in the Bill today. The Bill rides roughshod not only over the refugee convention but over the Government’s own manifesto commitments. That is the point I am trying to make. It is an important point for this House, for the Conservative party and for this Government. It is also an important point for Members in the other place, because, yes, this is a Bill that breaches international law in egregious ways, and totally undermines the refugee convention and treats asylum seekers appallingly, but it is also, as I said, contrary to the Conservative manifesto. For that reason, if this is not the sort of Bill that the House of Lords should be using its modest powers to delay, then I really do not know what is.
HM Passport Office Backlog — House of Commons, 2022-06-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Margaret Ferrier (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): In general, the hard-working staff at passport offices, including Glasgow, who have been really good at helping my team to resolve some of the passport issues, and on the MP hotline, are dealing as well as they can with what are difficult circumstances. We all know that happy and healthy staff lead to better outcomes, so can the Minister confirm that staff are being provided with the necessary stress management tools and care for their wellbeing?
HM Passport Office Backlog — House of Commons, 2022-06-14
Topic: Mixed Topics
Alison Emily Thewliss (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I have a constituent who had three attempted deliveries from TNT, but he was not informed and did not receive the passport, which was returned to Peterborough. As far as I know, he is still waiting to receive that passport. What should he do?
Channel 4 Privatisation — House of Commons, 2022-06-14
Topic: Other
John MacKenzie Nicolson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I beg your pardon. I try to avoid that, Madam Deputy Speaker Now is the chance for Conservative Back Benchers to join us on this side of the House in the mainstream. Please stand up for a national treasure.
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2022-02-23
Topic: Other
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Can you give me some guidance? Twice in Prime Minister’s questions, the Prime Minister referred to Alex Salmond and talked about him being one of our own, which is quite disgraceful. Alex Salmond has nothing to do with the Scottish National party. He is the leader of—[Interruption.]
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2022-02-23
Topic: Other
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Alex Salmond is not a member of the Scottish National party. Indeed, he is a member of another party. Moreover, the SNP has made it quite clear that no parliamentarian is permitted to appear on RT. To be traduced in the way that we were by the Prime Minister is simply unacceptable and he should withdraw his comments.
Countering Russian Aggression and Tackling Illicit Finance — House of Commons, 2022-02-23
Topic: Immigration
Stewart Hosie (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): On the issue of golden visas, prior to the tiered scheme there was the old UK investor visa, which was introduced in 1994. It ran from the end of the Major years through Blair, Brown, Cameron and all the Prime Ministers since, and now the tier 1 visa scheme has been done away with. Is my hon. Friend as frustrated as I am, given that the issue of dirty Russian money is not new, that the action is always too late and never quite enough?
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Other
Andrew Egan Henderson Hendry (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): My right hon. Friend makes an important point about Conservative Members being here to listen and watch. Regardless of the number of flushed or drained faces on the Conservative Benches, what does he say to those who previously called for the Prime Minister to resign, but who, as things got worse, changed their position, and are not here today?
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Civil Rights
Martin John Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr Baker) talks of contrition. Does my right hon. Friend think that, when the Conservative party attacks the very foundations of the Church of England—the Conservative party at prayer—we should take no lectures from them on being contrite or reconciled sinners?
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): We have had the usual deflection from the Prime Minister over the past few days. To see the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the established Church of their nation, being traduced in the way he was by the Prime Minister, my goodness. How utterly shameful.
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Other
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): How we get confession from a Prime Minister who denies everything, I just do not know Mr Speaker, I know you will understand that I cannot let this moment pass without a special word for the spineless Scottish Tories. In fairness, the Scottish Tory leader is probably the only person in the Conservative party who finds himself in a deeper hole than the Prime Minister. In fact, he is so far down a political hole that he obviously found it impossible to dig his way out and make it down to London to vote his boss out tonight. I understand that plenty of people back home are looking forward to the Scottish Tories being given a straight red in the council elections in a few weeks. [Interruption.] There we go again. I hope people in Scotland are watching, because what we see is the Conservatives trying to shout down parliamentarians in this House. That is what is happening For most people, it is very understandable—[Interruption.] There is Scotland’s answer from the Tories: "Let’s shout Scotland down." That is what they are doing this afternoon. [Interruption.]
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Hannah Mary Bardell (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The hon. Gentleman is making an excellent and poignant speech. Does he not find it strange and deeply worrying that we seem to be in a position in which the Prime Minister seemed unable or incapable of following his own rules and his own laws, yet he is using the rules and processes of this place to frustrate the course of, as the hon. Member for Stone (Sir William Cash) said, natural justice?
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Thomas Sheppard (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I could not agree more. I think that the Prime Minister would have resigned if he had any integrity. I consider it remarkable that rather than his giving an apology and any demonstration of contrition when these events came to light, it was not until he was dragged kicking and screaming into the light of truth by the criminal justice system and the forces of law enforcement that we actually received the apology that we heard this week, and that is not enough I want to spend one minute talking about the situation in Scotland. The hon. Member for Moray (Douglas Ross) leads the Scottish Conservatives. At the start of this year in the Scottish Parliament, he and his colleagues took, I believe, the right decision—they called on the Prime Minister to go—but somehow, miraculously, they have now been whipped into line by Central Office and changed their minds on that question. In commenting on that, I can do no better than quote Professor Adam Tomkins, a very senior Conservative and, until recently, a Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament. He says that the hon. Member and his colleagues "have now reduced themselves—and made their former position of principle look not only empty but risible—by insisting that the prime minister is now somehow fit for office and that being fined by the police makes no difference… The Scottish Conservatives are in terminal decline, again. And, this time, it is their own fault." That comes from within the Conservative party in Scotland itself I know that many people throughout Britain will look with horror at the way in which this Government have traduced public service and denigrated many of the democratic institutions in their country, but people in Scotland look at it too and see it as further evidence of a British state that is in decline and does not represent their interests. They are increasingly attracted by the opportunity to create a new country, an independent country with a different constitution Let me end by saying that I will vote for the motion, and I caution Conservative Members to do so as well. They are right—there is no room for personal attacks in this place or in politics—but let them understand this: actions do have consequences, and what goes around will come around. If the parliamentary Conservative party tries to sweep this under the carpet and tries to acquiesce in the actions of this Prime Minister any further, it will pay a very heavy political price.
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Other
Peter Wishart (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Absolutely, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would never dare move away from the motion before the House, and I find even the suggestion that I would quite shocking Let me conclude. This is a pivotal moment. Conservative Members can decide to resolve this issue and move on, for their own good as well as for themselves. Surely they are not going to go down with somebody who is now so full of the contempt of everybody across this nation. This motion will not be the end of it, but it could be the beginning of the end. I believe that this will truly end only when the Prime Minister goes, but that is all up to them.
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I was made an hon. Member of this place on 7 May 2015, and I know that this place means a lot to many Members. Personally, I have no real interest in this place but for one reason: to represent my constituents and help them to see my vision of an independent Scotland. I do not believe in the archaic traditions of this place, but I work hard to represent my constituents, who elected me. They have recently written to me again to ask me to ask the Prime Minister to resign, and I have to tell them that I do not have the power to do that. I cannot make the Prime Minister resign. I can ask him, but I know that he will not do so just because I have asked. However, it is important that we pass the motion, which may well lead ultimately to his dismissal, if not his resignation My constituents had a hard time over covid, and so did I, as I lived mainly by myself, but I was most struck by a constituent who wrote to me because she knew that I was returning to this place last June. She asked me to visit the covid memorial wall, where there was a heart for her mother. She was not able to travel from my constituency of Motherwell and Wishaw to London. That had a profound effect on me. It also reminded me that a number of constituents had emailed me during lockdown, when they missed births and deaths, marriages were postponed and people lived a bleak existence. Many of them had to go out and work in very low-paid jobs, because they had absolutely no other way to support their families. Many people suffered, and are still suffering, because of the lockdown It is hard for people with privilege to understand how many of my constituents lived. It is hard for such people to understand the impact of missing a funeral when nothing has happened to any of their family, and it is hard for them to understand how people eke out an existence on benefits. When people then find out that the Prime Minister of this country broke his own laws and went to parties, which they were not allowed to do, it is really hard, so I was not surprised by the flood of emails in my inbox asking for his resignation.
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): For those who are non-Scots, a menage is a savings scheme for people who are usually extremely poor and save on a weekly basis, and if someone is first in the menage, they get the total amount contributed. I was in many a menage before I came here. I totally agree with my hon. Friend I said that I did not care about this place. In some ways I do not, but there is one thing that I do care about. I care about truth. As a councillor, I was subject to the Nolan principles, and I am still subject to them. I am not fantastic—I have made mistakes in my life—and I do not have the memory to lie, but I think that truth, especially from the Prime Minister, is absolutely one of the most important things. If we cannot trust the word of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland—much as I want not to be part of that Union—all is lost. I therefore urge Members on both sides of the House to vote for the motion.
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Owen George Thompson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I agree. It has to be now the case that the Privileges Committee will have that opportunity I agree with the comments of so many here today and so many who have contacted me in Midlothian to express their disgust about the events of the past few months, which have done nothing but undermine the key principles of our democracy. The motion is perhaps an opportunity for us to start to move forward from this and to put right the wrongs of the recent past.
Referral of Prime Minister to Committee of Privileges — House of Commons, 2022-04-21
Topic: Mixed Topics
Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): As a relatively new Member of this House, I often get asked what it is like to be an MP. I tell people that this place is steeped in tradition and that we are often having to drag it into the 21st century, and at times it can become a little bit challenging, tiring and, I am sorry to say, a little bit boring as well. With no disrespect to the Clerks, it can feel a bit dysfunctional at times too. But there is one word that I always use and people are so surprised when I use it: collegiate. I find this House to be at its very best when it is collegiate. The stark reality, however, is that this lawbreaking Prime Minister does not help how parliamentarians are viewed. We know that MPs—most of us—work incredibly hard on behalf of our constituents, but the reality is that the actions of the lawbreaking Prime Minister further push the false narrative that all politicians are the same My inbox is full of inquiries from my constituents in Airdrie and Shotts, and some of them have asked me to share their stories. This one came anonymously: "At 72, my dad was the life and soul of the family, with 13 grandchildren whom he adored. He was young and fit, with a heart of gold. Dad was put on a ventilator on 9 April 2020. It was eventually turned off on my sister’s birthday, where he died alone. I weep every night and the sadness feels like it is never going to go away. I sit by his grave playing his favourite songs. My dad believed there was good in people, and always showed compassion and kindness to others. What is happening at Westminster has made me lose faith in people to do good or the right thing." Arran from Airdrie also wrote to me. He said: "A week before his 94th birthday, my papa, Frank Bell, died alone in a care home. His memory was frail and he remarked to his carers that nobody came to see him any more. He couldn’t understand why none of us would come to see him in his final hours. My papa, having lived his entire life with the love of his life, was forced to die lonely, sad and, from his view, forgotten by his family. Of course I am upset that I didn’t get to say goodbye. However, I feel Frank’s story runs much deeper. A man who lived his life with family died alone while the Prime Minister and his pals lived with parties in disobedience. It sickens my stomach that people try to pass off what the Prime Minister did, when people like my papa sacrificed so much. I would be grateful if you could speak of him tomorrow, not for my own pain but for the fact that he died alone while the lawmakers did as they pleased." When I joined the House, one of the first things I was told about was the mannerisms of this place and that I have to refer to everyone as an "honourable" Member or Friend. However, I am not sure that I am seeing much honour now. I will vote for this motion, and I say to Government Members that they should think very carefully, because the public and their constituents are watching.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Civil Rights
Questions:   I recently had the pleasure of visiting HMP The Mount in my constituency, where I learned about its excellent work to provide inmates with practical work skills for life after prison. What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to ensure that when individuals leave prison, they are given the tools and skills to successfully rehabilitate themselves back into society—as they are at HMP The Mount—and get back into work, and not to fall back into a life of crime?
Elizabeth Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Thank you, Mr Speaker. This really is a tale of two countries In Scotland, legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament is not law if it is incompatible with the rights defended in the Human Rights Act. That is also woven through the devolution settlement. If the UK removes the Human Rights Act, but the Scottish Parliament refuses consent, what will the Government do? What options exist, other than voting yes to independence, to retain our human rights protections in Scotland?
Cost of Living — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Christopher Charles Stephens (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I thank the hon. Lady, my good friend, for giving way. She mentions culture; there is also the issue that sanctions are part of that culture. It had seemed that we were persuading the Government to introduce a system in which there were warnings before sanctions, but they seem to have rowed back on that. Does that not add to the concern that she rightly raised about the culture?
Cost of Living — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Kirsty Ann Blackman (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): On the additional costs faced by disabled people, does the hon. Lady share my concern about the additional costs associated with specialist diets? For those with a gluten-free diet, for example, prices have increased significantly in excess of inflation.
Cost of Living — House of Commons, 2022-07-05
Topic: Mixed Topics
Christopher Charles Stephens (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I thank the Minister for his generosity in giving way, and also for his generous comments. The Select Committee did not argue that a payment could be made straight away; we argued that within two weeks of a claim, a starter payment could be made. Has the Department considered that as a way of addressing the five-week wait?
SMEs — House of Commons, 2022-06-28
Topic: Domestic Commerce
Peter Grant (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): A big concern for small businesses in my constituency, especially those in construction and engineering contract work, is that they finish the job, the main contractor gets paid, but the people who did the work sometimes wait months to get paid. If the main contractor fails during that time, the money disappears with it. Will the Minister agree to meet me to discuss the possibility of making sure that those moneys are kept in a protective bond, so that if we cannot prevent the main contractor from going bust, we can at least stop it dragging down hundreds of small businesses with it?