argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Banking Culture Review — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Government Operations
Mark Robert Timothy Garnier (Conservative, Centre-right): There has been speculation that the Treasury has influenced the decision by the Financial Conduct Authority. While I think that such speculation is certainly fanciful, it is important to remind the House that the FCA was set up in 2012 as an independent organisation. Does my hon. Friend agree that one way we could underpin the independence of the FCA would be to adopt a similar process to the one we have with the Office for Budget Responsibility, whereby the Treasury Committee can have power of veto over the appointment of the chief executive?
Banking Culture Review — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: Will the Minister agree that one of the biggest problems with the banking culture is that banks are too big to fail, and will she consider the issue of diversity in the sector, including, for instance, new lending platforms and market disruptors? In particular, will she consider new primary duties on the FCA to consider the issue of diversity?
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): It was good of the hon. Gentleman to turn up for Treasury questions this time—I guess there was not a Stop the War march or a picket line to join today. I can assure him that the Treasury has the power to appoint both the board and the chief executive and to set its remit, but from then on it has operational independence.
Wage Growth/Inflation — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that real average weekly earnings were up 2.4%, year on year, in the three months to October; wage growth has outstripped inflation for 13 consecutive months—the longest period of real wage growth since before the recession; and the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts wages to grow faster than inflation over each of the next five years.
Wage Growth/Inflation — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
James Stephen Heappey (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Minister’s reply. Does he agree that the key to delivering further wage growth, particularly in rural areas such as Somerset, is improving productivity, infrastructure and the skills base, all of which underpin the Chancellor’s long-term economic plan for the south-west?
Wage Growth/Inflation — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Labor
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): The lowest earners experienced the fastest growth in median earnings last year, and recent growth in employment has been dominated by full-time workers, contary to what the hon. Gentleman says. We have a comprehensive plan for driving productivity in the "Fixing the Foundations" strategy, and the national living wage is a dramatic, long-term structural change.
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): Our long-term plan is to turn around the decades-old economic divide between the north and south by building a northern powerhouse. We said we would create powerful new elected Mayors, and that is happening; we said we would speed up transport connections across the north, and we have committed £13 billion of investment; and for my hon. Friend’s Cumbria, there is a new enterprise zone, new air routes and nuclear research. The north is growing under this Government, and, with our plan, we will do everything we can to keep it growing strongly.
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Government Operations
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): As my hon. Friend knows—he is a real champion not just of Carlisle, but of Cumbria and the Cumbrian economy—we are working with local authority leaders and other elected representatives on whether we can have a new governance arrangement in Cumbria, which might include an elected Mayor. This is a decision for Cumbria, of course, but it has come to us with this proposal, and we are working hard with the people of Cumbria to see whether we can get an arrangement that boosts jobs, boosts investment and makes sure that decisions that affect Cumbria are taken in Cumbria.
Northern Powerhouse — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman seems to forget that the Redcar works first closed under the Labour Government that he supported. It is also the case that during that Government, which he supported from the Government Benches, the number of steel jobs lost in this country was 30,000. We are doing everything we can to preserve the steel jobs that remain. We are working with the steel industry. We have acceded to almost all its requests, and we are looking at the last remaining one, which is changes to business rates—again, something that never happened under a Labour Government. We will report on that at the Budget. We are working to make this the competitive place to do business, and if we adopted the policies of the Opposition, where dividends are not paid to investors and flying pickets are reintroduced, do they really think that a single overseas investor, such as Tata Steel, would be expanding their business in the United Kingdom?
UK GDP: EU Membership — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: International Affairs
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are fighting hard to fix aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the United Kingdom, so that we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. We are confident that the right agreement can be reached.
UK GDP: EU Membership — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: International Affairs
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): I too welcome the new jobs being created in and near the hon. Lady’s constituency by Jaguar Land Rover. Indeed, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor visited that site recently. On our relationship with the European Union, the Government’s position is very clear: we want the benefits of access to the single market, but there are aspects of our relationship with the EU that can be improved. That is what we are seeking to do in our renegotiation.
UK GDP: EU Membership — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Philip Andrew Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): Given that we had a £62 billion trade deficit with the European Union last year, and given that if we left the EU the UK would be the EU’s single biggest export market, does the Minister think we could have a free trade agreement with the EU from outside it, without handing over £19 billion a year in membership fees?
UK GDP: EU Membership — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: International Affairs
David Michael Gauke (Conservative, Centre-right): One point I would make is that thanks to Margaret Thatcher’s renegotiation of the rebate and thanks to the current Prime Minister’s negotiation of the EU budget resulting in a real-terms cut, we are paying less than we otherwise would have done.
Departmental Pay: Living Wage — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): I am glad the hon. Lady welcomes the fact that, from April this year, all employees in the United Kingdom who are over 25 will receive a significant pay rise. That is thanks to the strength of employment throughout the United Kingdom, which in turn is thanks to our long-term economic plan.
Departmental Pay: Living Wage — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Labor
Rishi Sunak (Conservative, Centre-right): According to my calculations, someone who earns £7.85 an hour today will benefit from rises in the personal tax allowance and the national living wage, and, by the end of this Parliament, will be more than £1,500 better off. Does my hon. Friend agree that that proves that this Government are committed to making work pay?
Departmental Pay: Living Wage — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Labor
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. In fact, it has been stated that not only will 2.5 million people benefit directly from the change in the national living wage in April, but up to 6 million whose salaries are very close to that hourly rate will benefit as well.
Departmental Pay: Living Wage — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Harriett Mary Morison Baldwin (Conservative, Centre-right): We believe that every worker in the country will benefit from the change in the national living wage, which is an important part of the long-term economic plan, but, as the hon. Gentleman will know, this year public sector workers received pay rises that were above inflation.
Departmental Pay: Living Wage — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Ranil Malcolm Jayawardena (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister has made important comments about the principle of making work pay. Will she give further consideration to extending the married couples’ tax allowance, so that more families can keep more of what they earn?
Support for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government are backing businesses by cutting their taxes. We have given Britain the lowest corporate tax rate in the G20, and we are cutting it further. To support small businesses, the employment allowance will rise by 50% in April, and we are doubling small business rate relief. This Government understand that we create jobs and raise money for public services by backing companies, not by punishing them with the kind of anti-business, anti-enterprise nonsense that we hear from the Labour party.
Support for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Alan Mak (Conservative, Centre-right): Manufacturers in my constituency, such as Innova Design, are growing, thanks to the rise in investment allowance tax relief which takes effect this month. Will the Chancellor join me in congratulating Innova Design on its growth and success, and will he also continue to support the British manufacturing sector, an industry that was neglected by Labour for 13 years?
Support for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Transportation
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): Absolutely. I join my hon. Friend in congratulating Innova Design on the work that it is doing. We are investing in transport infrastructure on the south coast, and we are also backing companies—not just there, but around the country—with a permanent annual allowance of £200,000, which is the highest that it has ever been.
Support for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Andrew Richard Rosindell (Conservative, Centre-right): What steps does the Chancellor intend to take to ensure that the quarterly tax returns that are made in 2020 will not harm small businesses in constituencies such as mine by affecting their productivity and their ability to make profits?
Support for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is right. Our objective is to make it easier for businesses, and indeed individuals, to complete their tax returns by making use of modern digital technology, and we are introducing a simple and secure personalised digital tax account. We estimate that that will reduce the administrative cost to businesses by £400 million.
Support for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Government Operations
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): We have a deal, because that is exactly what we are doing with the west midlands. We have worked with different political parties: I have met both Labour and Conservative authority leaders and Members of Parliament in the region, and we have collectively agreed to have an elected Mayor and to hand significant powers from this place and the Government to the people of the west midlands. I think that that is one of the most exciting steps that have been taken in the devolution of power in this country.
Support for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): We are in discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive about what we can do to support the economy, and it is great news that we are now moving forward with the additional resources for capital investment there. Of course, one of the things that we would really like to see is the devolution of corporation tax rates, for which we have legislated, and provided that we can reach agreement on the budget implications of that measure, it would provide a massive boost for Northern Irish businesses.
Support for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Transportation
Questions: I welcome the Chancellor’s reduction in corporation tax, which has helped to create many jobs. Does he agree that some businesses cannot grow, despite that measure, because of local infrastructure constraints such as the one that needs addressing in my constituency at the Chickenhall Lane link road?
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are investing in transport infrastructure in the Southampton area and along the south coast, as I was just saying to my hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr Mak). We understand that all parts of the country can benefit from additional investment in transport infrastructure, and that is why we are increasing the transport budget even at a time when public budgets are tight. None of these things would be affordable if we crashed the economy.
Support for Businesses — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: I welcome the Chancellor’s reduction in corporation tax, which has helped to create many jobs. Does he agree that some businesses cannot grow, despite that measure, because of local infrastructure constraints such as the one that needs addressing in my constituency at the Chickenhall Lane link road?
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (Conservative, Centre-right): We have increased our action against large-scale corporate tax avoidance and evasion, and the new diverted profits tax is designed to deal with the very real anger that people feel, particularly in the small business community, when they see large businesses not paying tax. We are also dealing with the burdens of tax administration, and we are consulting small businesses. I would just make the point that we would be crazy as a country not to make use of new digital technology and the internet to update and modernise our tax collection system, and we would regret not taking those steps today and letting other countries power ahead in reducing the burdens on business.
Trade Deficit — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government have taken a range of steps to reduce the trade deficit. Since 2010, UK Trade & Investment has more than doubled the number of businesses supported, and UK Export Finance has provided more than £15 billion of support. Earlier this month, I saw some of the results of that support when I met entrepreneurs at ESpark’s new hatchery in Edinburgh. Many start-ups and exporters in Scotland greatly appreciate UKTI’s assistance. I welcome the Government’s announcement this morning of an improved UKTI approach to exporters across the whole of the UK.
Trade Deficit — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): The trade deficit is actually improving as a share of GDP, and it is projected to continue to do so in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast. What would be an absolute disaster is the Scottish National party’s policy of full fiscal independence, which would cost Scotland £10 billion a year, added to which the collapse in the oil price would, according to the OBR, result in revenues this year being down by a staggering 94%. That would be a disaster for Scotland.
Trade Deficit — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
David Henry Rutley (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Chancellor’s earlier comments about export initiatives to India. Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming the excellent work that is being done by businesses in the north-west and the northern powerhouse to boost exports?
Trade Deficit — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): I join my hon. Friend in very much welcoming that, particularly with reference to exports to China and India, which have been a great success. UKTI is doing what it can to support that, with a doubling of funds in China over the spending review period and providing tailored support for first-time exporters, with an additional £20 million in 2015-16. It is supporting northern powerhouse trade missions on that specific basis, on the terms mentioned by my hon. Friend.
Trade Deficit — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: The British Chambers of Commerce is forecasting that the much heralded doubling of UK exports will take not another four years, as the Chancellor had promised, but another 18 years—it will happen in 2034. Does the Chancellor accept that this is clear evidence that his efforts to reduce the UK trade deficit are failing and will continue to fail?
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): As I mentioned earlier, the UK has a good future in terms of the trade deficit and improving statistics. UKTI will also be playing an important role here. On the announcements we made today on trade policy, one of the most important things we can do is adopt a whole-of-government approach to improving the approach we take to trade and boosting our exports.
Trade Deficit — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: The British Chambers of Commerce is forecasting that the much heralded doubling of UK exports will take not another four years, as the Chancellor had promised, but another 18 years—it will happen in 2034. Does the Chancellor accept that this is clear evidence that his efforts to reduce the UK trade deficit are failing and will continue to fail?
Craig Mackinlay (Conservative, Centre-right): My constituency contains a niche amusement machine manufacturer, Harry Levy Amusement Contractor Ltd, which supplies global export markets. What help and support can my right hon. Friend offer to exporters so that we can really achieve the new, cross-government approach to exports launched today by the Business Secretary and the Trade Minister Lord Maude?
Trade Deficit — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: The British Chambers of Commerce is forecasting that the much heralded doubling of UK exports will take not another four years, as the Chancellor had promised, but another 18 years—it will happen in 2034. Does the Chancellor accept that this is clear evidence that his efforts to reduce the UK trade deficit are failing and will continue to fail?
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): I have been to my hon. Friend’s constituency quite a few times over the past year and a half, but I do not think I have had the particular pleasure of meeting the company he mentions. I am very happy to meet him and that company, or perhaps to meet Lord Maude, if that is more appropriate, to see what could be done to help exporters in South Thanet.
Trade Deficit — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Questions: The British Chambers of Commerce is forecasting that the much heralded doubling of UK exports will take not another four years, as the Chancellor had promised, but another 18 years—it will happen in 2034. Does the Chancellor accept that this is clear evidence that his efforts to reduce the UK trade deficit are failing and will continue to fail?
Gregory William Hands (Conservative, Centre-right): I am happy to look in detail at the points the hon. Gentleman raises. My understanding is that there have been legal challenges to aspects of the aggregates levy and that has prevented us from addressing some of these issues, but I am happy to engage with him on an ongoing basis to see what could be done better.
Manufacturing Exports — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): Since 2010, we have cut corporation tax from 28% to 20%, which is the joint lowest rate in the G20—we will cut it further to 18% by 2020; we have set the annual investment allowance at its highest ever permanent level, at £200,000; and we have made research and development credits more generous and above the line, available in the early loss-making phase for the first time. In addition, UKTI has announced today enhanced support for exporters.
Manufacturing Exports — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Macroeconomics
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): We have to get behind the manufacturing sector. That is at the heart of this Government’s approach, of the long-term economic plan and of the productivity plan, through giving enhanced access to leading technologies in the catapult centres; the apprenticeships levy; making sure that we build up our skills base by attracting more teachers into the STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering and maths; and a range of other initiatives.
Manufacturing Exports — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): UKTI has an ambition to increase the number of exporting businesses by 100,000. There are a number of aspects to that: moving to more direct support as well as advice; learning from some of the leading export promotion agencies in the world; and, as my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary was saying just now, making sure that we leverage existing Government relationships with firms and sectors through a whole-of-government approach to supporting exports.
Manufacturing Exports — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Foreign Trade
Questions: The slump in manufacturing exports at the end of last year has to be proof that the UK economy is still too dependent on consumer spending to drive growth, and the Government must stop being so complacent and so self-congratulatory in sessions such as this. With the risk of Brexit this year only making things worse, what are they going to do to expand manufacturing exports
Damian Patrick George Hinds (Conservative, Centre-right): Exports are a challenge; there has been a long-term change in the UK’s share of world trade, the majority of it coming before 2010. On the hon. Gentleman’s point about investment expenditure and consumption expenditure, business investment has grown by two and a half times that of consumption since 2010.
Manufacturing Exports — House of Commons, 2016-01-19
Topic: Labor
Questions: The slump in manufacturing exports at the end of last year has to be proof that the UK economy is still too dependent on consumer spending to drive growth, and the Government must stop being so complacent and so self-congratulatory in sessions such as this. With the risk of Brexit this year only making things worse, what are they going to do to expand manufacturing exports
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): Does the Minister agree that supporting engineering and manufacturing is absolutely essential to our economy and productivity, and that we must do all we can to address the skills gap that is threatening local jobs and businesses in my constituency and around the country?