argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): In terms of the post office network, it is up to the Post Office to work out how best to compensate people, and it will be looking at that in due course. We will continue to work with the new chief executive, Nick Read, who is looking to put the future relationship with postmasters on a sure footing. In terms of an independent inquiry, this is the judge-led inquiry that has been asked for, albeit on a non-statutory footing. It is judge-led and it is backward looking, in terms of taking evidence from all those involved. When the hon. Lady sees the findings at the end, I hope she will see that, although perhaps not everybody will get everything they want, we will get answers about who knew what, when.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Andrew James Bridgen (Conservative, Centre-right): May I congratulate the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) on securing this urgent question? The Minister is well aware of my long-term interest in this topic, which has been a running sore for far too long. How confident is he that the review that he announced last week will gain the support and participation of all the stakeholders involved in this issue, and will it be able to hold to account and hold responsible those who allowed this gross miscarriage of justice to occur? If it cannot do the first of those, what confidence can he have that it will ensure that this intolerable situation will never ever be repeated?
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an incredibly good point. It is important, first, that Sir Wyn Williams engages with the sub-postmasters, led by Alan Bates, as part of the group litigation, to explain how he intends to investigate and take evidence, and I hope that they would therefore engage. I have talked about the fact that the Post Office and Fujitsu are ready to comply fully with the investigation, but if there are important people with important evidence that is not coming out, for whatever reason, there are mechanisms available to the chairman, Sir Wyn Williams, to look at that further and to re-evaluate.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I am anxious, because it is important that we keep the network up at the target level we set of 11,500. The hon. Lady is right that some of the difficulty is due to the situation gone by; some of it is due to the ongoing complexity of the Horizon system and resource availability. I am glad that the chief executive, Nick Read, comes from a business where he is used to dealing with people as stakeholders, not just as employees, so engaging in a more positive future relationship with postmasters. She is right to talk about rural and urban areas. In London, although clearly we do not want to lose post offices, it is relatively easy compared with some rural areas to get to the next post office, but that is not an excuse to diminish the network in London.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): On compensation, it depends on the situation of the people involved. Those who have been wrongfully convicted have recourse through the courts. I have regular contact with Nick Read, the chief executive, and other members of the board to make sure that we look at post office closures as reported to me by MPs and from updates, and increase and improve recruitment of postmasters, which will be achieved through a better future relationship.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Elliot Colburn (Conservative, Centre-right): I have not yet had the chance in this place to congratulate my constituency neighbour and former boss on his ministerial appointment I have met Carshalton and Wallington residents, including Nirmala Fatania, who have been affected by the Horizon scandal and whose lives have been turned upside down. Will my hon. Friend assure me that the Post Office will co-operate fully with the inquiry, that we will learn the necessary lessons, and that we will make sure that nothing like this ever happens again?
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, the Honours Committee and any future employers need to look at the background of any person involved in this. However, as I said, the inquiry is independent, and I do not want to stamp my authority on it. It is now for Sir Wyn Williams to question people and get answers. I want everyone, including people at the Post Office who were involved and are now no longer employed there, to engage in the process.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): I am glad to report that the Post Office is not using private prosecutions any more—the Justice Committee met last week to talk about private prosecutions—but the hon. Member is absolutely right to talk about her constituents and the losses they have suffered. I am glad that the independent inquiry will be able to get to the bottom of that to make sure that it can never happen again.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): I would echo the hon. Gentleman’s call for people to make sure they are in touch if they believe their convictions are not safe, because the Post Office is determined to make sure, as it looks back and reviews those 900 prosecutions, that it will be in contact—it is committed to being in contact itself—with anybody it feels is part of the Horizon process.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Robert Butler (Conservative, Centre-right): Last week, the Justice Committee, of which I am a member, published a report into private prosecutions, which was prompted by the Horizon scandal. Does my hon. Friend agree with its recommendation that any organisation that conducts a substantial number of private prosecutions should be required to meet the same standards of regulation, accountability and transparency as public prosecutors, and will he discuss that with the Lord Chancellor as a matter of urgency?
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): We discuss that with the Post Office regularly, and it is the Post Office’s decision not to oppose the appeals. This is clearly part of the recognition that it got things wrong so much over a period of time. I am glad that this change of approach is something that can get to the bottom of sub-postmasters’ questions and clearly right the wrongs of the past.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Robert Largan (Conservative, Centre-right): My father used to be a postman, and I know the vital role that postmasters play in serving many of our communities, especially in rural areas such as High Peak, but the way that many of them have been treated during this scandal is appalling. Can the Minister assure me that he will do everything he can to make certain the Post Office keeps to the commitments it has now made, and that we learn the lessons so that something like this can never happen again?
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): My uncle was a sub-postmaster in a rural area, and I saw the way he worked; that predated Horizon. We have watched people like him and my hon. Friend’s father work so hard in their communities, and the last thing they should expect is the scandal that has befallen some of these individuals. We must make sure that through this independent inquiry we get the answers so it can never happen again.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): The brief answer is no in terms of the chairmanship; in terms of the Secretary of State and sackcloth and ashes, I am the postal affairs Minister so I am the one who set up the inquiry and I am determined that we get the answers the hon. Gentleman is seeking.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Jason McCartney (Conservative, Centre-right): I, too, put on record my thanks to our community post offices; they have provided a vital lifeline during this pandemic in my villages and towns in Colne Valley. In terms of the inquiry, can the Minister assure me that my constituent, Maria, who is one of the victims of this scandal, and all the other victims will be able to give evidence so that they will be heard, and that we will get some conclusion to this inquiry within the next year?
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): On who is held responsible, let us wait for the response from Sir Wyn Williams and the independent inquiry. I know that, from Justice Fraser’s findings, some names have been recommended to the Crown Prosecution Service for it to discuss and investigate.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Martin John Vickers (Conservative, Centre-right): Like other Members across the House, I have constituents whose lives have been destroyed by this scandal, and I welcome the establishment of the inquiry. Can the Minister assure me that any recommendations that emerge from it will be acted on promptly, and will he undertake immediately to speak to senior management at the Post Office to establish whether structures are now in place to ensure that nothing like this could happen in the interim?
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): Absolutely: I want to ensure this is dealt with in a timely fashion, and we will take all the recommendations very seriously, because we want to get to the bottom of this. I continue to work with, and speak to, Nick Read, the chief executive, and listen to him and push him to ensure that the lessons have been learned and the structures are in place.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): The Prime Minister promised an independent inquiry, and that is what we have announced. We want to make sure that postmasters engage with it. The Post Office and Fujitsu have also said they will engage with it. It is now for Sir Wyn Williams to instigate the inquiry and get it under way, and he can always report back if he finds he is not getting the support he needs.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Social Welfare
Kevin Paul Hollinrake (Conservative, Centre-right): When you have caught and removed the fox from the henhouse, it is never a good idea to put it back in there to compensate the rest of the chickens. We did exactly that with Lloyds, and I fear we are doing exactly that with the Post Office. There is no obvious means of compensation for those with criminal convictions. The jury is out on the historic shortfall scheme, and those who are employed as sub-postmasters through McColl’s or the Co-op have no direct means of compensation. Will my hon. Friend confirm that the Government are committed to making sure that every single person who was disadvantaged is fairly compensated?
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): There is a separate director within Post Office Ltd who is looking specifically at the historic shortfall scheme to make sure that the rest of Post Office Ltd has the capacity to reset its relationship with postmasters, but we will of course look at Sir Wyn Williams’s findings. Postmasters who have had wrongful convictions have other methods of compensation, as I outlined in my original statement.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): If the hon. Lady’s constituent was in the group litigation, the compensation was settled in a full and final settlement that was agreed with the Post Office. The Post Office has said it will not contest the wrongful convictions. We will see what happens in the courts, but anybody who has been wrongfully convicted who was not part of that group litigation will have other methods of returning to compensation.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Marcus John Hudson Fysh (Conservative, Centre-right): Sub-postmasters often operate in very small communities where everybody knows each other. This has been an incredibly painful experience for them, their families and their communities. I welcome the establishment of the inquiry, but will the Minister please assure us that it will not be a whitewash? Many sub-postmasters in my constituency are anxious to know that.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes, I can assure my hon. Friend that it will not be a whitewash. I am determined to get the answers we need from the Post Office and Fujitsu and, indeed, from Government in terms of our role. We want to hear from sub-postmasters about their stories, their evidence and their losses. It is now for Sir Wyn Williams, a retired judge, to get to the bottom of it and to get those questions answered.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): What I am doing is announcing the inquiry; one of the big reasons I did not want it to be a statutory inquiry, although I can understand the impetus, is that statutory inquiries can last for decades sometimes and cause even more expense. In this way, we can get the answers within a year, I hope, so that we can put this issue to bed and get the answers that people want.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Robert James MacGillivray Neill (Conservative, Centre-right): The Minister is aware of the Justice Committee’s report on this matter. He will know that any wrongful conviction potentially undermines the whole of the justice system. Rather than waiting a year for the outcome of this review, will he meet urgently with the Attorney General, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Fareham (Suella Braverman), to discuss the specific recommendations that the Committee makes in its report to ensure that safeguards are applied? Through that, we can ensure that the standards applied by those who have the power to bring private prosecutions are, as my hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Rob Butler) said, never less than those applied by the Crown Prosecution Service. Being judge, jury, investigator and victim potentially creates very great conflicts of interest.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to the Chairman of the Justice Committee for all the work he has done and for the report the Committee published last week. I am always happy to speak to the Attorney General, and I will definitely take consideration in due course of that report.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely see the right hon. Gentleman’s point. This may well be a contributing factor, but there are plenty of other factors that make it difficult to recruit postmasters, particularly in areas such as his. However, we will do whatever we can to fill those places and keep that network up.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Scott Lloyd Benton (Conservative, Centre-right): The Horizon litigation process has caused immeasurable financial and emotional suffering and distress to the sub-postmasters who have been affected, including some of my constituents. Will my hon. Friend commit to studying whatever recommendations may come forward from the inquiry to ensure that this never happens again?
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes—one of the reasons for making it a non-statutory inquiry is so that we can get the answers quickly, study them, put things in place, and ensure that the Post Office has put the structures in place to ensure that it never happens again. We can keep its feet to the fire to make that work.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): On a statutory inquiry, as I have said in a number of answers, I want to ensure that we can get the answers quickly, rather than having people, as I described in a previous answer, lawyering up, which adds expense and time for the postmasters who have been through so much. I deal with the CWU on a regular basis. In terms of taxpayers’ money, the Post Office has funded the prosecutions through its own profits.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Law and Crime
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): Let us see what the result is from Sir Wyn Williams’ investigations and inquiry in the first place. Compensation is a matter for the Post Office, which has talked about the historical shortfall scheme. It wants to ensure that people who are wrongfully convicted are compensated accordingly.
CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office Prosecutions — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Paul Stuart Scully (Conservative, Centre-right): The inquiry is both independent and in full. It is one thing the Prime Minister promised, and it is one thing we have delivered. It has taken too long to get there, but we will get those answers in a few short months.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Transportation
Matthew John David Hancock (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises a very important question, which I know is exercising people who live in north Wales and on the border. I am not going to criticise the Welsh Government, with whom we work closely, but what I will say is that, in England, when we choose to bring in measures restricting travel, we do it with strong guidance at the moment rather than within the law. That is partly because there are all sorts of reasons why people might need to undertake a journey, so even where we advise people to minimise unnecessary travel, we do so with guidance and, in large part, people follow it.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Technology
Matthew John David Hancock (Conservative, Centre-right): I am delighted to have the chance to agree wholeheartedly with the First Minister of Scotland. We have been working closely together to ensure that the apps work together and interoperate in different parts of the United Kingdom. That upgrade is expected in the coming weeks. The two Governments are working very hard and very constructively on it.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Matthew John David Hancock (Conservative, Centre-right): That is exactly what we are doing—absolutely. For instance, this morning I also spoke to Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, about how we continue to strengthen the join-up between the national and local approaches. I entirely agree with the hon. Lady that that is incredibly important.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Education
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): Talking of tools at my hon. Friend’s disposal, Bournemouth University stands ready to help with lab testing. However, it is covid testing in schools that I would like to address. Today the rules state that the entire year group must stay out of school for 14 days if one of the pupils in it tests positive. That causes huge disruption not only to learning, but to working parents, who have to provide childcare. With better testing systems now in place, please can we review this 14-day rule that sends entire year groups home, so that we can keep children both safe and in school?
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Education
Matthew John David Hancock (Conservative, Centre-right): I would love to be able to review that, but only when it is clinically safe to do so. However, I would just point out to both my right hon. Friend and also to all those in education who are following this, including in schools across Bournemouth, that schools do not necessarily have to send the whole year group home; they have to send the bubble home. By ensuring that the way in which they operate keeps people safe, schools can ensure that bubbles are smaller than the whole year group. Many schools do that. The first immediate port of call would be to try to get the bubble smaller within a school, and then we should of course work together on other ways to solve the problem.
Covid-19 Update — House of Commons, 2020-10-05
Topic: Government Operations
Matthew John David Hancock (Conservative, Centre-right): We put in money, including into the right hon. Gentleman’s constituency, to do exactly that—to make sure that there is local support. He says we should follow a localised approach. That is exactly what we did in the north-east: when the seven north-east councils came to national Government, they asked for a set of interventions to be put in place, and we did that. That is exactly the sort of approach that we ought to be taking, and we will continue to do so.