argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Australia — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Foreign Trade
Andrew Egan Henderson Hendry (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of her statement For all the bluster, the Secretary of State knows that any deal with Australia cannot even make a dent in the shortfall created by the trading disaster of leaving the EU. The simple fact is that we are doing much less trade now than we were before 1 January. This deal will take 15 years to deliver one 200th of the benefits lost from EU membership—and that loss has already cost Scotland’s economy around £4 billion and is projected to cost every person £1,600 in red tape and barriers to trade The Secretary of State talks of whisky exports to Australia, while ignoring the fact that the Brexit costs of goods for distilleries have shot up by around 20%, and that is in addition to lost trade. This deal cannot come close to mitigating those costs or loss of sales. Fourteen of Scotland’s food and drink organisations have written to the Secretary of State to say that they have been ignored by this Government. They are Scotland’s farmers, crofters, producers and manufacturers. They know that they are being dragged underwater by yet another Westminster Government who simply do not care. And for what—swimwear In the 1970s, the Tories officially called Scottish fishing expendable, and they repeated that attitude on the way out of the EU. Even the Tories in Scottish constituencies now show the same contempt for Scottish agriculture. They have failed to back any amendments to legislation that would protect UK standards in trade negotiations or even public services Can the Secretary of State guarantee that the deal does not include investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms that could give corporations the right to sue Governments over actions that affect their profits, thereby potentially leading to the privatisation of public services such as the NHS or changes to workers’ rights? How will she guarantee that no cut of hormone-injected beef from Australia or food products treated with pesticides and antibiotics will appear on our supermarket shelves? She cannot, can she? Will she simply duck these questions and prove, once again, that the only way to protect Scotland’s business and consumers is through independence?
Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Australia — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Foreign Trade
Angus Brendan MacNeil (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Tapadh leat, Mr Speaker. Some are saying that Australia has never before had such good luck in a trade negotiation and are wondering how this would have been different had the UK not been at the table. They suspect that Canberra is running out of champagne The reality is that in year one of the deal, UK farmers face the arrival from Australia of more quantities of beef, sugar, lamb, cheese and other dairy products than ever arrived in any year from the EU. To make up for the Brexit damage, we would need 245 such deals, which are very risky to farming. There is a feeling of unseemly haste with this deal. Incidentally, the EU would not create such risks for its farmers. With all that in mind, and given the need for scrutiny, will the International Trade Secretary appear before our Select Committee in the next week to 10 days so that we can have a good to and fro and investigate the issues before she signs the deal and Australia has her in handcuffs?
Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Australia — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Agriculture
Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health threat, which led the EU and the UK to ban regular antibiotic use to promote growth in farm animals in 2006. Australia continues to allow antibiotics to be used as growth promoters, without any requirement for farmers even to report multi-resistant bacterial infections. How will the Trade Secretary prevent the import of such antibiotic-fed meat to protect Scotland’s high food standards, our farmers and our future health?
Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Australia — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Environment
Kenny Wright MacAskill (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Secretary of State has mentioned climate change in earlier answers, but she has not said what assessment has been made of increased greenhouse gas emissions because of shipping the volumes of Australian beef and lamb that their acting Prime Minister is salivating over. Has that assessment been done, or is it anticipated that the price will be paid and offsetting will come from a reduction in ferry and freight traffic in rural parts, particularly in Scotland, which will pay the price as a consequence of this?
Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Australia — House of Commons, 2021-06-17
Topic: Agriculture
Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): My constituency overwhelmingly rejected Brexit, because we knew what it would do to our farming and fishing industry. Is the Secretary of State concerned that the Australian farmers are hailing this as a huge victory, while Scottish farmers see it as a complete betrayal? Will she therefore explain to the hill farming communities in my constituency how flooding the UK market with cheap, factory-farmed, inferior produced meat is the golden opportunity that the Prime Minister promised that this deal would be?
Devolution Across the UK — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Government Operations
Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I, too, welcome the Secretary of State to his place. The United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 fundamentally undermined the devolution settlement and was explicitly rejected in Holyrood and the Senedd. He claimed again today that he seeks to augment devolution, so can he explain how riding roughshod over democratically devolved Parliaments does that?
Devolved Administrations: Relations with UK Government — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: International Affairs
Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. I tend to disagree, but I will accept it anyway The chief of staff to the former Prime Minister, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), said recently that the democratic mandate for a second Scottish independence referendum was "clear" and apparent. He also said that support for Scottish independence rose from the very moment the right hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) became Prime Minister. That is being driven mainly by opposition to the Government’s Brexit policy and the perceived relative handling of the covid-19 pandemic by the UK and Scottish Governments. Would the Secretary of State care to tell the House and the people of Scotland why he thinks continuing to dismiss Scotland’s democratic rights will strengthen the Union?
Devolved Administrations: Relations with UK Government — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: International Affairs
Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I feel I should doff my cap at the munificence of this Parliament towards Scotland Devolved Governments are not involved, consulted or considered in trade deals; Scotland is shut out of carbon capture and storage, despite the hot air of Better Together promises; and the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 undermines the last two decades of the devolution settlement. In what ways does the Secretary of State think that bypassing the democratically elected devolved Parliaments shows that this Union is indeed a partnership of equals?
NHS England Funding: Announcement to Media — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: International Affairs
Martyn Day (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): This announcement goes to the very heart of what is wrong with the Union. Ministers make decisions from here in real time for England based on their perception of needs, while the devolved nations get the consequentials. The Health Secretary’s announcement mentioned that consequentials would be coming. Can the Minister tell us today exactly how much money is coming to Scotland and when the Treasury will send it?
Arrest of Sudanese Prime Minister — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: International Affairs
Alyn Edward Smith (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I warmly commend the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah) for bringing this urgent question forward. I also commend the Minister for her reply, with which I agree entirely. There is a lot of agreement across the House that this is a very serious setback. The SNP stands four square behind international law, which cannot be taken à la carte—that applies as much to Northern Ireland protocols as it does to any other peace agreement anywhere else. Coherence across Government is really important for integrity and credibility internationally. This is a coup; it is a betrayal. The fact that the Minister was in Khartoum last week indicates just how little traction we have over events, as the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee has said, and I regret that. I particularly liked her remarks about holding people collectively and individually responsible for recent events, because that is very important. Can she reassure the House about arms exports to Sudan and what assessment the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has made of the flow of arms into Sudan and how they are being put to use? Furthermore, the UK is presently providing military support to the Sudanese army. That was unsuccessfully challenged in the High Court in July, but can we take it as read that that support is now being suspended?
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: International Affairs
Alyn Edward Smith (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I warmly commend the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Tulip Siddiq) for securing the urgent question and for her indefatigability in keeping the issue to the fore. We were in a Westminster Hall debate last week where she was notably passionate in her prosecution. For the record, I do not doubt the diligence of the Minister on the subject; I think it has been raised a number of times with the Iranians. Despite all the good intentions and cross-party unity, however, we have not seen progress; arguably, we have seen reversals. What sort of toothless tiger cannot get its nationals back from an overseas regime that has taken them hostage? We need to call a spade a spade We have an opportunity for progress with President Raisi coming to COP in Glasgow in a matter of days. Will the UK Government take the opportunity of having him in Scotland to hold talks about the issue? If not, why on earth are we contemplating having the head of a regime that is holding UK nationals hostage on our soil?
High Income Child Benefit Charge — House of Commons, 2021-10-25
Topic: Social Welfare
Martyn Day (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I rise to present a petition on behalf of constituents who have expressed concern to me about what they see as an inherent unfairness, whereby a family with one high earner can be disadvantaged in comparison with two-earner families, and who have highlighted some anomalies in regard to the threshold rate not aligning with the basic-rate tax threshold The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to re-examine the High Income Child Benefit Charge policy to address the disparities it creates and ensure that any revision accounts for future increases in basic-rate tax thresholds Following is the full text of the petition: [The Petition of residents of the constituency of Linlithgow and East Falkirk, Declares the High Income Child Benefit Charge is an unfair policy that puts families with one high-income earner at a financial disadvantage to a two-earner family; further that it discourages claims to child benefit, which negatively impacts National Insurance Contributions; notes that that the policy’s £50,000 threshold does not align with the basic-rate tax threshold of £50,270. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to re-examine the High Income Child Benefit Charge policy to address the disparities it creates and ensure that any revision accounts for future increases in basic-rate tax thresholds. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P002692]
Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Labor
Kirsten Frances Oswald (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Maternity Action highlights the fact that pregnant women and new mothers cannot devote their energy and finances to pursuing employment tribunal claims. The Minister says he wants to take steps to understand, but I can tell him that the thousands of women who have lost wages, entitlements or their job because of the pandemic, or the more who will unfortunately follow, need effective access now to justice and more time to enforce their rights. The Minister has also says he is committed to action. So what is the hold-up, and what does it say about this Government’s priorities?
Official Development Assistance: Gender Equality — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: International Affairs
Margaret Ferrier (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The Gender Equality Advisory Council recently recommended to G7 leaders that they renew their commitment to the 0.7% of GNI target for overseas development assistance and urged them to ring-fence any funding for gender equality projects. Will the Minister assure us that she has assessed the effect on such projects of the recent cut of ODA to 0.5% of GNI, and that she is working with Cabinet colleagues to mitigate that harm?
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Labor
Alan Brown (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Relative to the average working wage, the UK state pension is the worst in Europe. We have had the WASPI—Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign—women scandal, where the Government did not do anything, and now they are going to take £1.2 billion from the mineworkers’ pension scheme. This Government do not solve inequality; they add inequality, do they not?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Macroeconomics
John Joseph McNally (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Prime Minister, we hear a great deal in this place about the rule of law and injustice. Can the Prime Minister tell me what he is going to do about the injustice that my constituents in Falkirk, and indeed families up and down the UK, are facing every day because of the retrospective loan charge, which is fast turning into the next Post Office scandal? The hounding by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs—clearly out of control, accountable to no one—has managed to hoodwink and mislead his own Treasury Ministers and now, according to the head of HMRC, the retrospective loan charge appears to be without any legal basis or justification. Therefore, will the Prime Minister accept that this matter needs further and immediate investigation?
Engagements — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Social Welfare
Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): One in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage. Does the Prime Minister agree that parents’ grief for this profound loss is not an illness and therefore that parents should receive formal miscarriage leave rather than resorting to sick pay or unpaid leave if their miscarriage occurs before 24 weeks? Will he support my private Member’s Bill and introduce paid miscarriage leave for parents?
Covid-19: Contracts and Public Inquiry — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Government Operations
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I beg to move, That this House believes the Government has failed to give full details of the process behind the issuing of emergency covid-19 contracts; and therefore calls on the Government immediately to commence the covid-19 public inquiry, announced by the Prime Minister on 12 May 2021 There have been many instances during this covid-19 pandemic when we have seen the very best in our society, from our frontline workers keeping food on supermarket shelves, to our extraordinary scientific community who have produced life-saving vaccines, to, of course, our NHS heroes who have been so deserving of the George Cross. The pandemic has also led to opportunism, greed, and covid profits being put above accountability. This Tory Government are guilty of funnelling covid cash from the frontline into the pockets of their rich friends. We are talking about endemic cronyism during a global pandemic, the misuse of funds, and covid profiteers raking in billions of pounds for services that have often been too substandard or irrelevant in the fight against the virus. Yes, Mr Speaker, it is billions of pounds that we are talking about—billions of pounds while millions in our society have been excluded from any help from the Government Today, the SNP is saying enough, no more dodgy dealings, no more undeclared meetings, and no more billion-pound contracts to friends. The Prime Minister promised an inquiry into the UK Government’s handling of the pandemic; it must start right now.
Covid-19: Contracts and Public Inquiry — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Government Operations
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I will be generous to colleagues and the Prime Minister and for the purposes of this place I will respectfully do so The court cases highlighted that the covid contracts were not published on time, and poor records left big unknowns, such as why some companies won multi-million-pound contracts and others did not. Clarity on the latter has been provided through the revelation that civil servants were requested to triage contract proposals into high-priority lanes. That means that proposals from a supplier recommended by Ministers, Government officials, or MPs and Members of the House of Lords were given preferential treatment. That was crucial to the success of those seeking procurement deals: a National Audit Office report found that up to July 2020, one in 10 suppliers that had been put in the high-priority lane were awarded a contract, while the figure was less than one in 100 for those outside that lane. It is not what you know, or what you can provide: it is who you know in Government. These priority lanes created a tale of friends and family fortunes.
Covid-19: Contracts and Public Inquiry — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Government Operations
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I am afraid to say that the lack of dignity in the Conservative Government is what is at stake here. The Scottish Government’s processes on procurement were open and transparent—that is the difference with what has taken place in this place Let me give a couple of other examples. A company run by a former business associate of the Tory peer Baroness Mone was awarded a £122 million contract seven weeks after the company was formed—my goodness, who has ever heard of such a thing? Another company, owned by a Tory donor, that supplied beauty products to high street stores was awarded a £65 million contract to produce face masks. Public First, which was awarded a £560,000 contract by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to conduct polling on the Union, was run by a former employee of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Colleagues, right hon. and hon. Members, there is a thread that runs right through this. Incidentally, we have yet to see any of the research into support for Scottish independence: perhaps the Government did not like what they found.
Covid-19: Contracts and Public Inquiry — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Government Operations
Alan Brown (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): My right hon. Friend is making a valid point. Is he aware of the recent report from openDemocracy that another person who helped to run Public First was Rachel Wolf, who was also a non-executive director at the Department for Work and Pensions at the time? Not only are Tory cronies getting contracts, but they have placemen who are supposed to challenge the Government but are actually helping to get contracts.
Covid-19: Contracts and Public Inquiry — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: Government Operations
Alan Brown (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): I thank the Minister for giving way. The emergency tender procedure that she highlights is the one that was previously used to award a ferry contract to a company with no ferries, so we know how bad the governance is from this Government. On governance, openDemocracy recently confirmed that 16 non-executive directors appointed to various Departments are Vote Leave compadres, Tory chums and Tory donors. They are the ones who are supposed to hold the Government to account. Can she explain the selection process for these non-executive director roles?
Covid-19: Contracts and Public Inquiry — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: International Affairs
Richard Gordon Thomson (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): Since the right hon. Member has taken us on to the Union, why did the Government seek to poll Scottish attitudes to it if its benefits were so self-evident throughout? Why were public funds that were intended for covid procurement misdirected to pay for that polling?
Covid-19: Contracts and Public Inquiry — House of Commons, 2021-07-07
Topic: International Affairs
Stephen Mark Flynn (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The hon. Member says that the motion has nothing to do with Scottish independence, so why did the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Cabinet Office put forward a contract that specifically looked for Scottish views on independence? What was the purpose of that, if not to understand independence?